


Darkest Before Dawn

by Slingblade125



Series: The Darkest Knight Series [3]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman Begins (2005), Dark Knight (2008), Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-03-09 09:24:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 149,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3244484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slingblade125/pseuds/Slingblade125
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darkest Before Dawn (Part 3 )<br/>Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham desperate to recapture the Joker. Will Bruce be able to balance tracking the Joker, rebuilding Gotham and mentoring Blake while trying to build a future with Selina Kyle? All rights to the original story/characters go to Christopher Nolan, Warner Brothers, Batman Begins/Dark Knight DC Comics</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bruce awoke before the alarm. He had barely slept at all but this was a moot point as his body had become accustomed to waking at this hour regardless of his level of fatigue. As the days stretched into weeks since his return to Gotham his body had managed to adapt itself to the rigorous new demands of his morning ritual. His body had adapted to life back in Gotham even if his mind and heart still remained in Florence.

Bruce rolled over and faced the empty expanse of bed that should have held her, that  _could have_  held her if he had not insisted that she stay behind. He pressed his fingers to his eyes rubbing the hot orbs until light sparkled behind the closed lids. He had regretted every second of their last face to face. He could still hear himself saying those words, telling her that he didn’t want her in Gotham with him…telling her that he didn’t need her here...telling her that she would only be a hindrance to him if she came…that she would just be a weakness for the Joker to exploit. He had told her that he had Blake now so he didn’t need her help anymore.

That had finally done the trick. Selina had looked at him after he said it like he had slapped her across the cheek. In truth, he practically had. With that statement he had discounted everything she had been to him, everything she had been to Gotham.

He would never forget the look on her face.

She had been sitting on the light blue duvet that covered the bed they shared in Alfred’s guest room wrapped in a white robe after having shed her rain-soaked running gear. She dried her hair and argued her point while he packed a small carry on for his flight back to Gotham. She tried reasoning with him, then negotiating, and then finally all out demanding that he relent and agree to her accompanying him back to the city. She had fought to keep them together until that sentence came out of his mouth. Then there was just an icy silence that filled the room between them.

Bruce had watched her face harden into a mask of calm control. He watched as her defenses slid into place between them, but they were too late to save her from the impact of his words. He had already hurt her. He had dropped everything in his hands and took two quick strides intercepting her as she was moving toward the door. Bruce held her tightly against his chest while he whispered a quiet apology into her ear. He swore to her that it was his desperation speaking and that he had not meant a word of what he had said.

She had stood still and strong before him and simply nodded, “I know you didn’t, Bruce, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to just sit here and listen to this shit.” She took a deep breath, “I know what that bastard did to you, Bruce. I know what he took from you. I get it.” She had pulled away from him giving a reassuring squeeze to his biceps, “I get it.” She paused at the door of the room and looked regretfully over her shoulder, “But knowing all of that Bruce, knowing exactly what he is capable of…can you really blame me for wanting to go back with you? Can you blame me for wanting to be there beside you when you face him? I understand why you want me to stay clear, just don’t expect me to be happy about it. And don’t expect me to stay on the sidelines for long. I know how to handle myself. I’ve made the difference between your success and failure before, Wayne. Don’t forget that.”

Those were the last words spoken between them before he and Alfred were in the air bound for the states.

Midway across the North Atlantic he had wished that he had been able to convince Alfred to stay behind as well. The English gentleman was obviously displeased with how he handled the situation and had remained unusually silent through the flight. Silent until Bruce made the mistake of trying to justify to him why he had left Selina behind. Alfred had not hesitated in recounting Bruce’s own words as he reminded him of Fox’s warning that he should not try to control her.

Bruce growled aloud as he rolled in the bed and came to rest on his back. He shoved a balled fist under his head and glared up at the ceiling.  _I knew Alfred understood why I couldn’t have her here in Gotham. He hadn’t needed to hear my futile explanations on the flight. It had nothing to do with her taking time away from Blake’s training or distracting me from finding the Joker. It was about Rachel. Alfred and I both knew that was at the core of it. Hell, Selina even knew it._

After listening to his string of excuses Alfred had just sighed and given a suffering look before breaking down the situation, “Master Wayne, had you brought the missus with, you would have likely spent the past four hours strategizing on the Joker’s whereabouts and formulating a plan for finding him instead of worrying over the status of your fledging relationship. So remind me again of how in her absence Ms. Kyle is somehow less of a distraction?”

Bruce had opened his mouth to retort to that statement and abruptly snapped it shut. He slipped his phone out of his pocket, walked to the rear of the plane, and dialed her number. She picked up on the third ring, but static filled silence was his only greeting. “Selina.” As her name escaped his throat he dropped into a padded chair and lowered his head into his hand, raking his fingers through his dark hair. Her name was an echo of pain. “I’m sorry, Selina. I shouldn’t have asked you not to come. I was wrong to do it. Very wrong to say what I did to you to force you to stay. You know how much I love you. I’m just…” His voice trailed out and he let out a frustrated breath.

She finally spoke to his emotional state, “You are afraid.”

Hearing her say that brought him up rigid in the aircraft’s leather recliner. He searched himself for a response and his lips pressed into a hard line, “Yes I am, Selina. The Joker has given me every reason to fear him. I know the kind of things he is capable of.” There was no response to his words as she just let him work through the emotions on his own. “But that doesn’t make what I did right, Selina. I will book you a flight out of Florence in the morning to Gotham or I can get you a private charter—”

“No.” Her reply was firm and he could tell by the tone that she was beyond influence. “Bruce, if my being there weakens you, then you were right to ask me not to go with you. You need to be free to deal with things in Gotham without worrying about me every step of the way. When I said I understand I mean it. I get it...I do.” There was a long pause, “You don’t have to worry about me, Bruce...just go handle your business.”

He had heard the grim finality in her voice. Even after she assured him that she would be there for him when this was over he had felt unsteady.  _I hadn’t needed the Joker to break us apart, I did it myself. Who needed a painted lunatic to destroy things when I was lunatic enough to do it myself?_ He tried then to tell her that he wanted her with him, that he  _needed he_ r beside him, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He couldn’t bring himself to beg the woman he loved to come to Gotham to do battle with this demon.  _Not this one, Selina. Not the Joker._

The alarm on the night stand sounded and Bruce silenced it with a practiced flick of his wrist. He pressed his thumb against his eyes and tried to think through the blossoming pain in his head. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and paused for a moment as he ran his hands vigorously over his face. He heard Alfred walk into the room likely to assure that the alarm had managed to awaken him. Bruce kept his head bowed as Alfred laid a warm hand on his bare shoulder, “Did you get much rest, Master Wayne?”

Bruce nodded and patted Alfred’s hand, comforting the old gentleman. Bruce knew he was concerned at how hard he had been pushing himself and Blake. But, it had to be done. He had to do everything in his power to get the kid ready before the Joker reappeared.

In the weeks since his escape from Arkham Asylum it had become eerily calm in Gotham. The entire city seemed to be holding its collective breath waiting on the green-haired monster to unleash his special brand of terror upon the city. With his foreboding silence, the Joker managed to accomplish what even the destruction of Bane’s regime had not, the threat of the Joker was causing a mass expatriation of citizens from Gotham City.

The news media was calling it an exodus from evil as hundreds a day were pulling up stakes and evacuating the city. Gotham’s citizens had finally had enough of the insanity and were fleeing. Dozens of prominent business had pulled their headquarters out of Gotham eager for a chance to restructure elsewhere in a climate that was more conducive to regrowth rather than chance a rebuild in a precarious economy with the threat of the Joker looming on the horizon.

Bruce had spent his fair share of time in the spotlight reassuring the citizens through various media outlets that Wayne Enterprises was staying the course and that both he and his company remained invested in the city of Gotham and the recovery efforts.

On days like today it was the responsibility he felt to Blake and Gotham that gave him the strength to face it all again. Bruce forced himself to move, he grabbed up the grey sweatpants Alfred had laid out for him, pulling them over his black boxer briefs. A plain hooded grey sweatshirt followed and then socks and running shoes. He stretched the kinks out of his back as he stood. When he took the first steps to the bathroom, he nearly smiled. Pain free knees were still a novelty to him. He flexed his shoulders and elbows and shook his head marveling at the improvement in his mobility. Selina’s words echoed in his head, ‘ _Too bad the Doc doesn’t treat broken backs and concussions, you would be damn near bionic, Wayne.’_ He sighed and mumbled to himself, “Damn if I don’t miss that smart mouth of hers.”

Blake was waiting in the main room talking quietly with Alfred when Bruce arrived. When he walked in, Blake stood and looked at him expectantly. Bruce gestured to the rear of the penthouse. “Weights and Jujutsu today,” he informed Blake matter-of-factly.

Blake nodded and made his way back to begin his warm up. After several runs through a Tai Chi stretching and balance routine Blake found himself relaxing even though he knew the following session with Wayne would likely be brutal hands on fighting.

Jujutsu was a weaponless close combat martial art designed for defeating armed and armored opponents. Today’s lessons would likely entail learning joint locks, holds and throws. At least he knew what to expect today, often Bruce didn’t even tell him what martial art form he was learning. He would just demonstrate the skills, and they would work on his form until Blake was able to reproduce it flawlessly.

Before the session ended, Bruce would take him into the center of the padded mat and they would run through all of the maneuvers that he had learned. It was more a mental challenge than a physical one for Blake, but if he forgot a defensive trap or a counter maneuver, the correction was swift, immediate, and _very_ physical. Bruce would hammer him hard to the mat and then help him silently back to his feet. He would review the flawed skill and then they would begin again.

The combat training had muscles aching in his body that Blake had never even known existed. After their morning sessions, he would limp back to shower in what had officially became his room in the Wayne penthouse while Bruce took coffee with Alfred in the kitchen. Alfred would give him the rundown on his itinerary for the day and Bruce would pound down one of those god-awful green wheatgrass protein shakes before showering and heading into the office with Alfred at the wheel of the Benz or the Rolls. Blake would inhale a huge breakfast prepared by Mr. Penneyworth and then it was back to training.

From eight to noon he took martial arts lessons from two staple instructors hand-picked by Wayne and flown in directly from the respective birth lands of their disciplines. Karate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with an ancient Japanese instructor from Okinawa and Kung-Fu on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with a young, very intense Chinese man based out of Hong Kong. Then it was a lunch Alfred had ready for him in the fridge a short nap if he was lucky before the afternoon sessions began. He always looked forward to those as they offered the greatest variety in his training. An assortment of instructors would visit, many of who spoke little to no English. They offered sessions in stick fighting, grappling and occasionally throwing arts and sword handling.

Often by the end of these sessions, Wayne was back from the office. Blake and Alfred would have dinner together while Bruce dined alone in his private study or if the weather permitted on the balcony overlooking the city. Then like clockwork, thirty minutes after Alfred cleared the dishes he would emerge and Blake would fall in behind him and they would disappear together into the safe room. From there Wayne would take him below Gotham City and the practical training began.

With suits on and masks in place they would face one another like armored gladiators. Bruce would pace him through his skills showing him how to adjust and balance while wearing the cape and cowl. Only then, under the cover of night and in the secluded darkness of the tunnels below Gotham would Bruce speak to him about invisibility and the art of Ninjutsu.

Blake remembered the first time he heard Bruce whisper the word. _‘Ninjutsu.’_ It felt like Wayne was sharing a dark and personal secret, “It is the art of forbearance, patience, self-control, restraint and tolerance. It is Japanese in origin and was practiced by assassins in ancient feudal Japan. It is a discipline based in stealth and darkness. It is covert warfare. Its practice inspires fear and confusion in its victims and then exploits their weakness.” He paused and his eyes grew cold, “It is considered dishonorable to fight using such psychological attacks...dishonorable to pray on the fear of your enemy. By using these skills you will become below human. You will be  _shinibi no mono..._ you will become ninja and be bound by their code. You must accept that you will forever live in the shadows and accept that in death you will remain nameless and the legacy of your battles will belong to only the people you served.”

Blake had heard a rustle down the tunnel behind him and turned away, when he looked back Wayne was gone. He spun a slow circle peering into the darkened corners of the expansive room, his eyes searching for him in the shadows. He flicked on the visor in the cowl and immediately picked up a heat register directly above him. “Might as well come out, Bruce. I see you.”

A gloved hand gripped his shoulder and Blake wheeled around, finding Bruce standing silently behind him, “You see only what I allow you to see.” Bruce’s voice was calm as if it had taken no effort from him at all to elude detection. The voice of the Batman filled the echoing chamber, “You will be schooled in the art of non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection. To satisfy this discipline you will learn disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, explosives, and poisons.” Blake had met Bruce’s eyes and in that moment, he understood the true weight and responsibility of the knowledge Bruce carried.

The training Blake was receiving was everything he had dreamed it would be. However, with the enlightenment that came with each completed lesson, Blake could only see how much further there was to go before he would be on equal footing with Wayne. With every skill learned, Blake felt both more in awe of Bruce and more ill at ease with his own ability to ever serve in place of him. Gone were the preconceptions he had of Bruce Wayne and to hell and gone were any preconceptions he had ever had of what it meant to be the Batman.

Blake learned the technology behind the Bat quickly under the tutelage of Lucius Fox. He spent countless hours with the patient man in the vaults of Applied Sciences. The blasted floor remained open and served as perfect drop point to practice with the grappling gear and learn the glide skills needed to perfect his usage of the available Wayne tech.

The job Lucius had done in securing the surrounding tunnels under Wayne Tower had been nothing short of miraculous. He had gone to the extremes of acquiring the subcontractors that had been employed by Daggett Industries and brought them under WE direction as Ginger Fox Construction. Under Fox’s direction, they low bid for the city contract on the subterranean inspection, restoration and remapping of the drainage and sewage systems under Gotham.

Blake had not needed Fox to explain the significance of this coup. He had grinned over at Lucius, “The city council just turned over the entire substructure of Gotham City to the Batman.”

Lucius had smiled back at him and shrugged, “They have tried on countless occasions to present Mr. Wayne with the keys to the city, I guess Bruce was finally ready to take them up on their offer and make himself at home. Besides, I did cut Gotham one heck of a deal on the contract. With what I bid this out for GFC will barely break even on payroll and materials.” Fox cackled in obvious pleasure that after all that he gained for Wayne by securing the city contract he was still able to squeeze the construction company through still in the black on their financials. “Now of course Mr. Wayne will be springing for the extra costs on the additional digs. Extending the tunnel out to the Palisades will be no cheap easy task, but when it is completed there will be a private dry channel linking the cave system under Wayne Manor directly to Wayne Tower and the Tower to secure berthing ports all through the city.”

Multiple crews from Ginger Fox Construction unknowingly rerouted the existing drainage tunnels around the expansive cavern under WE. City maps were redrawn and the space under Wayne industries simply ceased to exist. The fifty-man crew that had been tasked with pulling off the dig to the Pallasides were imported workers from a South American mining company.

It was no coincidence that their drilling company had also been a recent acquisition of Mr. Wayne’s. The men were brought in to Gotham under heavy cover and compensated handsomely both for their labor and their discretion. The team of men were operating under the impression that they were working at a secret dig site in Australia. The cover story was further reinforced by the security team that watched over them, that had themselves been imported from an offsite WE medical research center near Melbourne. They crew were housed barrack style on the lowest level of Applied Sciences during their stay. The crew was well provided for, but as per their contract, they were required to stay on premises and contact with outside sources during the duration of the dig was prohibited.

The diggers had been more than willing to sacrifice their time with family as they had developed a deep loyalty to their new employer. Since new management had taken over the mining company operational safety measures had been employed that resulted in a cessation of precarious digs in non-supported honeycomb tunnels in older mines. The miners and locals had watched in disbelief as charges were set and then cheered as directed blasts closed shut the lucrative but dangerous mineral shafts that had claimed the lives of so many of their native countrymen.

If that had not been enough to sway their loyalty the new owner had brought in medical teams to provide medical care and vaccines to the workers and their families and eventually extended medical support to the people in surrounding villages. Also the mining company’s private security team had quickly and quietly displaced the corrupted military force that had long lorded over the community. It had been a life-altering whirlwind of change for the impoverished community and the mining company had been the catalysts for it all.

A legend had already been born to explain the incredible change in fate. It was widely believed among the locals that it was the flawless purple diamond that had been pulled from the mountainside that had brought forth their good fortune. Miners were treated like heroes in the village and their increased wages drove forward the local economy. So when the foreman had asked for volunteers to complete a project for their new owner and benefactor there had been so many men eagerly come forward that many had to be turned away.

Blake had seen the crews in action himself. They were the hardest working men he had ever seen. They were also proud. The supervisor had taken him in hand, slammed a hard hat on his head, and practically dragged him over to a tattered map indicating to him the distance they had made for the day. The drill operator had invited him up to see the state of the art rig he had been provided and then walked him personally down into the trenches to observe the clearing progress. Blake’s limited Spanish provided for him enough that he was able to tell him good job and thank you. When one of the rock haulers had approached him and asked him a question, Blake was able to decipher that the man was asking the score of a soccer match between Peru and Brazil. Blake was only barely able to communicate that he didn’t know.

Later that night with help from Lucius he interrupted the Spanish dubbed movie that had just begun to play on the large flat screen and started a bootleg replay of the soccer match. The cheers and adulation that accompanied the start of the game had moved Blake. Never a fan of soccer he became one that night as he was forced into a chair and a steady flow of imported beer seemingly materialized in his hand can after can. He drank and cheered along with the workers as underdog Peru took down the Brazilian _futbol_ juggernaut three to two.

Lucky for him Fox had thought to smooth over his disappearance that night with Bruce. During the game he had received a text from Fox: ' _I notified BW that our “training” was running long this evening_. _He suggested you not drink too much more as you have an early session with him in the morning.'_  Blake had smiled down at his phone, “Damn Bruce, you are a scary bastard sometimes.”

In all honesty, Bruce was scary  _most_  of the time. They had gone out into Gotham together the third week of training. Bruce had led him through a maze of tunnels out into the heart of the city. He had looked at Blake and told him to follow his lead. The next four terrifyingly exhausting hours were spent trying to follow the Batman through an obstacle course of steel and brick as he leapt from building to building, scaling walls with his hydraulic grappling gun and sailing fearlessly off the skyscrapers of Gotham.

During all of this, Bruce remained completely silent. He would watch Blake complete the exercise and wait for him to breathlessly reach his location and then Wayne was off again. Eventually Blake became more accustomed to the silences while they trained at night. The Batman was meant to be silent. It was when their masks came off that Blake found Bruce Wayne’s silences unnerving.

Outside of their morning training sessions Bruce rarely spoke unless Blake or Alfred asked him a direct question. He spent the hours he wasn’t working with Blake or at the office on his computer in the study working on analysis of crime patterns in Gotham. Alfred fielded his email correspondences and screened his phone calls. The only calls Blake ever saw get put through were from people on what he had dubbed the short list: Pepper Pots, Gordon, Fox and Selina.

When it was Selina Bruce would stop whatever he was doing and disappear into his room. The aftermath of her calls were either the best of times or worst of times. Blake had learned his lesson quickly on trying to help Wayne through the worst. He had taken a good old-fashioned ass kicking when he offered to spar with Bruce after one of her calls. He noticed Bruce gloving up and heading for the heavy bag he had foolishly offered to go a few rounds with him. Fifteen minutes later Alfred had been acting as his cut man tending to his split chin while Bruce went to work on his original target, the three hundred pound heavy bag.

Alfred had ended up doing first aid on the bag as well. He dutifully patched the splits in the sides of the custom leather bag with strips of grey duct tape. Blake had asked Alfred then about the change he saw in Bruce. The old butler just smiled as he pressed the tape onto the bag and said  _this was_  Bruce Wayne. Blake was informed then that it was the other side of Bruce that had been the real enigma. That it had been only for Selina Kyle that the laid back happy Bruce Wayne had ever made an appearance. Blake tried not to show his disappointment when Alfred told him that they weren’t likely to see that side of Bruce resurface until Selina either defied his direction and came back to Gotham or Bruce defeated the Joker and went to Italy and collected her himself.

As Bruce walked silently by unwrapping the tape around his wrists Blake realized that either of the scenarios concerning Selina’s possible return to Gotham were sounding pretty damn good right about then. Alfred gave him a small knowing smile and patted his knee in reassurance, “I know he doesn’t seem the same man to you Master Blake and it is through no fault of your own be assured. This entire business of waiting for the Joker to show himself is taking a toll on the Master's nerves as you might well imagine. The separation from Ms. Kyle only serves to worsen his temperament. The misfortune of navigating that temperament falls to us, lad.”

Blake watched Wayne disappear wordlessly through the doorway and he sighed, “I never thought I would ever say it Alfred, but I wish Selina Kyle would bring her ass back to Gotham.”

 

xx

x

Edit Credit to CHEED


	2. Chapter 2

 

Bruce signed off on the last two contracts and shoved the completed documents into a red intra-company envelope. He glanced up as Fox entered his office. “Late night tonight Mr. Wayne?”

Bruce nodded, “When you have the opportunity to snare some of the most prime real estate in Gotham for pennies a square foot it makes it worthwhile to stay a little later.”

Fox looked less than thrilled with the acquisition because he knew what was behind the opportunity, “Who was it this time?’“

“Donovan Marketing Group.” Bruce gave him a weary look as he fastened the string holder around the tabs securing the documents.

Lucius shook his head, “That’s a big name for the city to lose. If they don’t relocate the employees it will mean another hundred or so people out of jobs.”

Bruce shook his head, “They are taking only the top executives. Merging marketing with legal at the hub in Detroit.” Bruce shook his head, “ _Detroit_.” He said the city’s name as if it carried a repugnant taste, “Apparently that is only other city in America where real estate and unemployment is still worse than in Gotham.”

Lucius slipped his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose, “So the workers stay, and the jobs go. That doesn’t exactly make things better, does it?”

Bruce shook his head as he slid the documents across the desk. “We can’t do much more without spreading WE dangerously thin.” He shook his head and drummed his fingertips on the desk. “Hell, we have barely recovered financially from the pinch I put us in.”

Fox sat down in the chair across from his employer, “I hardly think you can blame yourself for the actions of Talia and her trade scandal. That being said, Mr. Wayne I don’t entirely disagree with your assessment of the shop’s current financial situation.” He folded his glasses and slipped them into the breast pocket of his navy suit jacket before resting his chin casually in the palm of his hand. “Although...I have always thought it might behoove us to have an innovative marketing and public relations team at our disposal. Lord knows with the things you have pulled in the past we could have used some people with a flair for spinning the media.”

Bruce leaned back in his chair and smiled grimly at the ceiling, “I was just buying the building, Lucius. Are you suggesting to me that we keep the Donovan creative team on payroll?”

Fox’s soft smile never faltered as he looked at Bruce, “I have asked you before Mr. Wayne to not to take me for a fool. I know exactly what you had in mind when you inked those contracts.”

Bruce snorted a humorless laugh and rolled his head against the leather headrest to face his CEO, “ _Do you_ think me a fool Lucius?”

Fox’s smile broadened, “At times. But, not today, not about _this_  decision anyway.” He watched Bruce’s eyes fall to the framed photo of Selina that sat on his desktop and he couldn’t help but shake his head.

 _Fox had taken the photo of her as she was standing against the railing at the restaurant atop the island of Corsicana. She was an absolute vision in that cream dress with the coffee-colored stripes snaking around her slender body. She had damn near knocked me dead when she had walked into Alfred’s kitchen wearing it that morning._   _But there, with the ocean at her back and the breeze in her hair, she was positively breathtaking. Lucius had sat the framed photo on my desk with an unapologetic smirk the week I got back to Gotham. Before I could even protest he had told me he was acting under orders from Selina. She had told him set it where I would be forced to look at it all day every day. He made it clear that it was her wish that I should suffer accordingly. Fox also warned me that the penalty of taking it down would result in my walls being papered with poster-sized reproductions._

Bruce sighed and then directed a benign scowl toward his CEO, understanding full well that Fox thought him an incredible fool over abandoning, Selina. “I never did thank you for that photograph, Lucius. Nothing quite like a reminder of our little misadventure there on the island.”

Fox took the jab in stride; “I suspect you might not mind too much remembering her in that dress though?” Bruce raised his brows at his insinuation and Fox just chuckled and lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Just an educated guess, Mr. Wayne. I could tell that you seem particularly fond of that…designer.”

Bruce stood and gave the photo of Selina another long look as he shouldered on his dusky grey suit jacket over his wrinkled white shirt. He adjusted the sky blue silk tie snuggly around his throat, “Mr. Fox, why don’t you put that educated mind of yours to better use and figure out how to keep the hundred and sixty-four people from Donovan on payroll when neither of us knows jack about marketing.”

Fox stood and stretched his back, “I will get right on that, Mr. Wayne.”

X

Xx

Xxx

Bruce reached the parking garage and discovered with mild annoyance that Alfred had again arranged for him to be driven home by a backup driver. Today it was a thirty something blonde man that introduced himself as  _Geoff_  with a  _G_. This was the fifth time in three weeks a backup had been utilized to drive him home. Bruce accepted the courtesy of the open door and sat back into the rear of the limousine. He huffed at the dark interior of the Cadillac, not caring for the ostentatiousness of the vehicle and not at all caring to be driven by anyone other than himself or Alfred.

He smirked to himself as he realized he had not minded too much when Selina took the wheel on occasion. _It damn sure put me on the edge of my seat when she did_. Then he did smile, but that quickly faded as the limo pulled abruptly away from the curb and Bruce had to catch himself to avoid colliding with the door. He frowned as he was left wondering exactly where Alfred had been spending his afternoons.

He slid out a portable laptop from the compartment beside his knee and settled back into the deep leather chair. A slight jolting as the driver braked to a quick stop renewed his irritation at Alfred’s absence. Bruce linked into the computer servers in the Batcave and ran a trace on the GPS beacon in the Rolls. A few seconds later the tracking icon blinked its location on the map. He reentered the vehicle ID and again the small blue dot again appeared over Wayne Manor. He squinted down at the display and confirmed that he had not accidentally entered a drop point at the server center, the readout showed clearly that Alfred’s position was currently at Wayne Manor.

Bruce considered for a moment telling Geoff with a G to drive him out there. He had not seen the property since his arrival back to Gotham and he was overdue a trip to his old homestead. Truthfully, he had not really had the time for sentimental social calls and furthermore had not wished to cause any disruption for the kids at the facility. He thought of Blake and a small smirk curved his lips.  _That would be all I need anyways, another street-smart kid marking me as the Batman._

He tried to imagine what would have drawn Alfred out to the Manor and he came up blank unless it was to tend to his parents gravesites or assist in some charitable capacity.  _Alfred had been shouldering all of my social responsibilities since my return. He had mentioned in passing that there was a function being held in a few weeks…something about a rededication of Tom and Martha’s._ Bruce shifted uncomfortably in the seat.  _Alfred knows I hate social events like that, but he had made it clear that there was no way out of it for me. He had been kind enough to reassure me that the guest list was very short and that the press would not be reporting the event. With the Joker still on the loose Gotham’s socialites had been keeping low profiles lest they draw undo attention to themselves. I would be damned if I would make Tom and Martha’s a target just for a function to honor me of all people._

Bruce shut his eyes and willed himself not to think of Selina on his arm dressed to the nines walking through the halls of his childhood home. That was a complete failure as the memory of her in that microscopic gold dress leapt forward in his mind. Trying not to think of her was like trying to tell yourself not to think of elephants. Suddenly that was all that filled your brain. Elephants. African elephants…circus elephants…elephants in short damn designer dresses...freaking elephants everywhere.

He growled in annoyance and opened his eyes glaring down at the computer. He tapped the computer screen as he focused thoughtfully on the GPS marker for the car and then dropped his hand to the keys and entered a different tracking number. The map flashed and a satellite-linking icon appeared as the screen loaded. The GPS dot dropped down on the Pennyworth residence in Florence. Bruce pulled up the past weeks activity and a maze of green lines appeared as the tracking records for the pearls appeared on the monitor. He noted multiple trips to the farmers market, the university, travel to the canal and several local museums. There were extensive routes to various shops and cafes throughout Florence.  _Selina was evidently making the most of her time in Italy._

He frowned as his finger tapped the beacon, “I would love to be the one taking you those places. I promise Selina, I will make it up to you when this is all over.” He picked up his phone suddenly overwhelmed with the need to hear her voice. He looked at the display and hesitated.  _It would be nearly one in the morning her time. It wouldn’t be the first time either of us had reached out to the other with a desperation phone call._

She had called just last week while he was in the middle of a meeting with representatives from the Pentagon discussing weapons contracts. His phone rang and he held up a finger and halted the presentation while he answered her call. He made no bones about where his priorities lay when he had answered his cell in front of reps from the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the greeting of, “Good evening darling.” The men and women surrounding the table had shared mystified looks at the obvious personal interruption; Fox had even raised an eyebrow as he watched Bruce for an indication on how they were to proceed.

Bruce could not have cared less what the reaction was to the interruption. Selina never called during meetings, she made it a point not to in fact. Alfred sent out three copies of his calendar after they finalized it in the mornings, one to Fox’s assistant, one to Bruce’s mobile and one to Selina Kyle. She was nothing if not respectful of his itinerary and his time. If she was calling, there was a reason for it. She had apologized immediately after he answered and even tried to let him go saying she knew that he was busy, that she had just needed to hear his voice. He had not been willing to leave it at that. Bruce had looked over at Fox giving a nearly imperceptible nod before standing and making his way out of the conference room.

Fox looked up at the young man giving the presentation and indicated that he should continue. He had hesitated for a moment and then asked if they shouldn’t wait for Mr. Wayne to return. Fox just smiled and let him know that business of a more urgent nature had presented itself and that they would have to muddle through the remainder of the conference without Bruce Wayne.

Ducking into an empty meeting room Bruce assured Selina that she had not interrupted anything of consequence. Sitting on a ledge under the windows, he loosened his tie and discarded his jacket, watching the sun dipping lower in the horizon Bruce asked what had her so unsettled. She reluctantly told him that she had just woken from a dream and that she couldn’t let go of the feeling something had happened to him. He had spent the better part of an hour talking quietly with her. Leaning casually back against the window like a man who had nothing more in the world to do than talk to the woman he loved.

That was how Fox’s assistant found him when he opened the door to set up the room for a staff meeting. He had quietly backed out and shut the door gently as not to disturb the owner of Wayne Enterprises. He then dutifully stationed himself outside the door and redirected the reporting executives to an alternate venue.

Bruce would not let her apologize for taking him away from work and he scolded her when she said she was embarrassed to have made such an emotional production over a dream. He told her that he loved her and that he missed her and they ended the call with her having promised him that she would call anytime she wanted regardless of his schedule. After they had finished, Bruce sat there for a long while more as he thought again about the decision to return to Gotham. At that moment he hated himself more for the choice he made then he had since he told her goodbye in Florence. He hated himself because he had heard the threads of fear in her voice and he had not been there to comfort her.

He looked down now at his phone as the limousine crept along in traffic and he forced himself not to dial her number. He was not going to allow himself to wake her just to appease himself _. Fuck, I deserve to feel this way. I made this choice for us._ Bruce held the phone tighter and tried to settle his nerves. The driver accelerated too quickly from a stoplight and Bruce was pressed back into the cushions of the plush leather seat. He glowered toward the front of the vehicle as his mood slipped even darker. Then he did use the phone. He punched the contact number for Alfred Pennyworth.

X

Blake didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth when Bruce breezed in the penthouse and informed him that he had the night off. Blake had nearly fell to his knees and kissed Wayne’s gleaming leather wingtips, grateful for a reprieve from the exhaustive training. Instead of genuflection though, he had just stood there in shock, unsure of exactly what to do with his unexpected freedom.

Ace had no such hesitation in his actions; the dog jogged happily up to Bruce, his nails clicking lightly against the scraped wood floor. He accepted a gruff greeting from Wayne that included a ruffle of the hair on its neck and a quiet request for a security report on the status of the penthouse. The dog sat and gave a short sharp bark to which Bruce grunted in apparent approval before patting the dog’s smooth head. Ace squinted his eyes shut and a look best described as bliss adorned his scared face at the small gesture of affection from the master of the house.

Bruce looked up and fired a question at Blake, “Where is Alfred?”

Blake looked blankly back at him as if it never occurred to him to wonder anything about Alfred’s comings and goings. He stammered out an, “I don’t know,” which seemed to escalate Bruce’s annoyance exponentially. So much so, that he reached for his phone presumably to call for the ETA of his wayward butler. 

Alfred entered the penthouse right as his mobile began to ring. Bruce looked up, and then peered down at his watch as if more notice needed to be made of Alfred’s late arrival, “What exactly am I paying you for today, Alfred? It certainly wasn’t for chauffeuring me home.”

Alfred snorted at the attempted rebuke and continued into the kitchen, the smell of food wafted from the bags he carried along with him. “Presently you are compensating me for providing your dinner and tolerating your deplorable company, Master Wayne.”

Blake bit back a laugh and turned his interest from the employee/employer drama to the more exciting prospect of food. Bruce looked at him like he had slipped a link in his mental drive chain when he made to follow them into the kitchen. Blake hesitated, watching Bruce’s face for a clue on how he should proceed. Bruce gave him an incredulous look, “Your one night off and you are going to spend it here eating takeout?”

Blake shrugged as he walked in after Bruce, “What else would I do?”

Alfred looked up from the counter where he sat the bags, “Perhaps Master Wayne expects you to panhandle on the street and then pop off to purchase your own Moo Shoo pork?”

Blake stilled, his spine straightening as he watched for Bruce’s reaction. Wayne looked between Alfred and him and then back to Alfred again before his found his voice, “What is _that_ supposed to mean?”

“That means, Master Wayne, that while you are doing your best to save Gothamites from financial ruin and homelessness you are in fact driving your young pupil straight to that very demise. So unless you intend to put Master Blake on the Wayne Enterprise payroll soon you should well expect that he will be taking all of his meals with us or chance him not being able to eat at all.”

Bruce exhaled hard, his anger further exacerbated by Alfred’s accusation of neglect. Blake could tell it had never occurred to the über rich mogul that he had not been working and therefore had not been earning wages. Independent wealth was likely to blind a man to incidental details like forty-hour work weeks and minimum wage rates. The expression on Wayne’s face made it clear that he was both irritated and embarrassed to have left him in a financial bind. Blake was momentarily upset with Alfred for calling Bruce out the way he had. Wayne obviously cared about people. You could take one look and see everything he had done to pull Gotham out of the crapper since he had been back and know that. If that wasn’t enough, one need only to go ask the miners digging this very minute below Gotham and ask their opinion of him. Bruce Wayne was practically a deity as far as they were concerned. Knowing all of that about Bruce, Blake was quick to come to his defense. “Hey, look it’s no big thing. I—”

Wayne held up his hand and cut him off. “I’m sorry, Blake. That shouldn’t have gotten by me.” His voice was quiet and hard as iron. Blake could tell that through the calm façade that Bruce was monumentally pissed. He chanced a glance over at Alfred and noticed that the old Butler seemed upset as well.

Alfred paused as he was unloading the food, “I too owe you an apology, Master Blake. When one becomes accustomed to a life of privilege as we have you forget sometimes the struggles of the working class. Luckily for you, Ms. Kyle has a fresher memory of such things.” Blake and Bruce both looked at Alfred then. His blue eyes dropped to the bags and he finished unpacking the containers of Chinese food; lifting the last three out individually by the wire hangers before wiping his hand on a cloth and reaching into his jacket pocket. He produced an open envelope with an international postmark and handed it to Blake.

Blake looked inside and found a check that had been issued by Wayne Enterprises to Selina endorsed over to him. A small note to Alfred accompanied it. Blake read it silently.

- _Alfred_

_This arrived for me. I assume it is compensation for the position Bruce and Fox had spoken to me about as the director of the security division at WE. Well as we can all see- that is a capacity in which I am not currently serving. I do however believe that since 'Robin' has managed to stay alive up to this point in his training he has likely done enough to warrant a paycheck for his efforts._

_Make sure he takes it Alfred. The kid is rolling near a negative balance in his accounts and his credit card is maxed. Oh and Alfred… see that Wayne pulls his head out of his ass and takes care of his protégé better in the future would ya?_

_Hope you are doing well, Sir Alfred. I miss you._

_Love_

_SK_

_p.s._

_Sig and I are having lunch at your café. The staff says to tell you Buon giorno!_

Behind the note was a detailed drawing of Sigmund with several smiling men who Blake deduced were waiters at the café. They were standing in front of a stone terrace holding up wine bottles and glasses. He could see the faint outlines of a bridge behind them. Alfred stepped around the counter and took the picture from his hand, “If you don’t mind Master Blake I should like to hold on to this.”

Blake nodded and made to pocket the other items before Wayne caught a look at the contents. Unfortunately, the man in question was already pulling said items from his grasp. His green eyes flicked over the uncashed check and then bore a veritable hole into the paper as he read her note. Bruce glared wordlessly over at Alfred when he finished.

Alfred handed Blake a wooden serving tray that held five of the white cartons along with several bottles of water, a blue PowerAde and silverware. Blake accepted it and looked at Alfred questioningly.  _The fact Alfred had brought home take out and then served it still in the containers was beyond out of character for the proper butler. Bruce giving me the night off was also unheard of...this entire evening is mystifying my mind..._

Alfred patted him on the shoulder, “I’m beyond fatigued tonight, Master Blake. I’m afraid you are going to have to rough things out for yourself a bit.” Alfred pulled the payroll check from Wayne’s hand and dropped it on the tray between the food cartons before giving Blake a weary smile, “Bon Appétit, Master Blake.”

Bruce looked ready to go thermonuclear at any moment. Blake nodded in silence carrying the tray he moved quickly intending to clear himself out of the blast radius. He almost made it to the door of the kitchen before Bruce’s voice reached him. “You will have a WE bank card and payroll account set up by morning. Any outstanding balances on your charge cards will be settled and cleared by the end of the business day. Let me know if you want to keep your Mustang or upgrade into something else.”

Blake froze at the door not knowing if he should answer or attempt to utilize his new Ninjutsu skills and try disappearing into the nearest wall, “I uh think I will just keep the ‘stang. It’s almost paid for anyways.”

Bruce continued to face Alfred as he spoke, “As of now, it’s paid for.”

Blake swallowed and then followed his original instinct and disappeared, leaving Alfred to deal with the surly master of the house. As he sat down in front of the TV to eat, he took a closer look at the check and all of the zeros before the decimal point and nearly choked on his orange chicken. He heard the muffled arguing between Bruce and Alfred in the kitchen and looked down at the pensive dog by his side, “Ace buddy, I don’t know what Alfred’s check looks like but it should be double this just for his ability to handle Bruce.” Blake turned up the volume on the television and tried not to feel guilty about abandoning poor Alfred. The dog looked at the door of the kitchen and whined. Blake shook his head, “I would keep my nose out of it, pup. That discussion is above our current pay grade.”

Bruce and Alfred stared at one another both obviously annoyed and exhausted. Alfred opened the remaining containers of food and sat them unceremoniously on the counter between them. His only attempt at redeeming the meal from its origins as takeout was to provide folded cloth linens and actual metallic forks in lieu of the paper napkins and plastic picnic ware that were included. “Consider this a buffet, Master Wayne. I am officially taking the evening off.”

Alfred turned and walked to the wine rack where he selected a semi sweet Riesling Sauvignon Blanc to accompany the Asian fare. Bruce’s hand stopped his before he could gather the corkscrew out of the utensil caddie. Alfred inclined his head and Bruce silently took the tool and opened the wine as Alfred gathered a single glass, wiping clean the crystal goblet with a cloth.

Bruce poured as Alfred took a seat on a stool at the counter, helping himself to one of the food containers. He acquiesced when Bruce sat the glass lightly down in front of him, “You will have to forgive my tardiness and the quality of your evening meal tonight, Bruce. Time got away from me this afternoon I’m afraid.”

Bruce sat down next to his butler silently taking up one of the take out cartons of Chinese food. He glanced at the red dragon emblazoned on the side and his brow furrowed as he recognized it as a Japanese rendering with the three toes and slender snakelike body instead of the full-bodied five-toed dragons indicative of Chinese lore. He shook his head at the amateur oversight of the restaurant, hoping their attempt at replicating Chinese food was better than their apparent knowledge of oriental art. Fortunately, from the taste of the Szechuan beef it seemed excellent by Americanized standards.

They ate in silence until Bruce finally spoke, “When I called earlier you said you were out at Tom and Martha’s?” Bruce forced himself not to look at Alfred as he waited for his response.

“Yes, I was.”

Alfred offered no more than that so Bruce turned and affixed him with his calm knowing eyes, “Is there something you need to tell me, Alfred?”

Alfred met his gaze with a small smile, “You know then.”

Bruce had done some more digging on the GPS records after their terse, unproductive conversation on the phone and found that Alfred had been out to the Manor nearly every day since their return to the states. He spent his entire afternoon there most days in fact. A quick search on public records showed no fewer than four separate building permits issued at that address to various contractors employed by Ginger Fox construction. Knowing all of this Bruce was still forced to shake his head at Alfred’s assumption that he  _knew_  what was going on. Bruce studied the contents of the food carton in his hand rather than meet his butler’s gaze, “I know you have been spending an inordinate amount of time at Tom and Martha’s. I know that Fox has contractors working out there. Multiple crews of them. What I don’t know, Alfred... is why.”

The old butler shook his head and a smile played around his lips, “Truly, I never would have believed that it would have taken you this long to uncover our little ruse. Your mind has most assuredly been elsewhere, Master Wayne.” Bruce sat the food container back on the dark granite countertop and fixed Alfred with a tired look that said he really was not going to tolerate being kept in the dark much longer. “I assure you it is nothing that warrants such a look of apprehension and dread from you, Master Bruce.” Alfred nudged an untouched container toward him, “Kung Pao beef with extra peppers. Eat, while it is still warm.”

Bruce glanced down at the container of spiced meat and took it reluctantly, “What should I have figured out by now, Alfred? Besides the fact that I’ve been unintentionally bankrupting John Blake.”

Alfred smiled into his wine glass before taking a sip, “It appears that commissioner Gordon and the officials of Gotham have in their minds to show their gratitude for your tireless support of the city. They intend to turn the keys to Wayne manor back over to you, Bruce. I was out today making the final decisions on the placement of furnishings and art.” Alfred sipped his wine as Bruce processed the information and then he added as an afterthought, “You will have to forgive the obvious Italian influences of the new decor, Master Wayne. Due to my inability to fully recover your old furnishings a large number of items had to be replaced. Most of those were procured by the missus and flown in directly from Italy. By default a distinctly Mediterranean feel was largely…unavoidable.”

Bruce had stopped chewing as he listened in shocked disbelief. Alfred gave him a guarded look, “Before you get your kickers twisted over this, Bruce... know that Jim intended this as a thank you for what you have done both as a leader in Gotham and as the Batman. I should hope you will act both _gracious_ and _honored_ when he returns the Wayne estate back to you in a few weeks.” Alfred took a bite of Lo Mein in an effort to stop his mouth from finishing the thought which included that he was revealing the surprise early because he believed that Bruce would have, in fact, expressed  _neither_ of these sentiments had he been caught off guard by the commissioner’s well intended kindness.

Bruce finally swallowed the food in his mouth, “I suppose I am to act surprised as well?” He sat the food container on the counter and stood, walking stiffly around the island bar to the refrigerator where he located a pitcher of iced tea.

Alfred’s voice followed him, “Not necessary on your part I assure you. Jim never believed we would get to the dedication without you having discovered his plans. He had given me carte blanche on when and how to bring you to terms with the transition. His only request was that I do so in a manner that, I quote, ‘ _would leave him with as much ass as possible'_ after you were informed.’”

Bruce barked out a laugh as he gathered a glass and poured unsweetened tea over ice. He hesitated as he lifted the glass to his lips, “What about the kids?”

Alfred smiled never having doubted that Bruce’s mind would go immediately to their need. “They are to be housed permanently at the dormitories of the old Catholic University near St. Swithins. Bruce’s unhappy grimace at the mention of the abandoned university spurred on Alfred’s quick explanation. “The rooms being utilized now have already been refurbished and restored to the highest of standards, I assure you. I toured them myself before the first child was relocated. The remaining forty-five units in the boys’ dormitory are under construction presently.”

Bruce looked at Alfred closely, “You have been working on this since we got back.” Bruce stated it obviously in awe of the elder man.

Alfred shook his head, “Since well before we left for Switzerland in fact, Master Wayne. Mr. Gordon called me the day after Christmas with the idea. It has been quite the little side project the past months I assure you.” He offered up the last remnants of broccoli beef and when Bruce declined Alfred dipped in his fork and speared a floret, “It would have been quite an impossible feat without help from the Missus and Mr. Geller respectively. They are quite a formidable combination when it comes to color and decor, but one should expect that from artists I suppose.”

Bruce’s eyes softened as he realized the extent to which they all must have all gone to work this out. Alfred, Gordon, and Fox coordinating on this end, Selina and Sigmund contributing all the way from Italy. He dropped his head and sipped the amber liquid, “How does it look?”

Alfred shook his head and twirled the delicate wine stem between his fingertips, “The remodel has exceeded all expectations. The manor is as stately and grand as she ever was, Master Wayne. But it has warmth now...a character and functionality it didn’t have after we rebuilt her.” Bruce did not miss the emotion in his butler’s blue eyes, “For the first time since your mother’s passing, Wayne manor feels alive again.”

Bruce shut his eyes, “Thank you for preparing me, Alfred. I might not have handled it well otherwise.” Bruce leaned on the counter as he spoke still trying to wrap his mind around the entire thing. It was beyond him how Jim Gordon had pulled this off. He had never even fathomed a scenario that would have brought it back to his possession.

His brows furrowed.  _With the city in such a financial bind, how had Gordon managed to secure a building the size of St Margaret’s for the kids? Even abandoned the land alone was worth a fortune. The old architecture of the buildings were all that had saved it from demolition as the preservation societies had been embroiled against adventure capitalists to stave off commercial development that threatened the future of the historic buildings._

Bruce asked Alfred about the status of the dorms trying to ascertain how he might be able to assist with the new facility. Alfred admitted that he was not aware of all of the details just that the land had been donated by the city and the dorms were the first structure to be remodeled from privately donated funds. Bruce caught the word usage, “The first? Implying what? Other buildings on site are to be renovated as well?”

Alfred nodded, “Oh yes, Mr. Wayne. The entire complex in fact. It seems whatever private funding they received was enough to revitalize the dormitories, and then Federal funds were obtained. The campus is small, as you well know, but the proposed refurbishment will have it back to all of its former glory. Well within the restoration guidelines of the historical society as well, not that anyone is organized in the city enough to care about such things at this particular juncture. Eventually it will matter that the original architecture of the buildings were salvaged; with the destruction of the church on Piedmont Street, St. Margaret’s is now the oldest structure left in Gotham city.”

Bruce looked questioningly at Alfred, “What do they intend to do with the campus?”

Alfred smiled, “Per federal directives, funds are to be used to turn it into a Collegiate Preparatory school and Vocational Technical College. Restorations on the library and women’s dormitories are already well underway.” He gave Bruce an understanding look, “It is not at all surprising that the construction failed to capture your attention sooner, Master Wayne. With the entire city under some form of reconstruction or repair this project is fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of Gotham’s recovery.”

Bruce smirked, “I suppose it helped me not to notice the work being done when you stopped taking Bridgeport Parkway on our commute to the office in the mornings?”

Alfred chuckled at having been called out on his deception, “That too, sir.”

x

Bruce checked the luminescent dial on his watch and calculated the time difference to Florence.  _She should be waking for her run about now_. He pulled his phone out from under his pillow and smiled as the display lit:  _Incoming call: Selina Kyle._ The caller ID picture was one he had taken of her sleeping on his chest as they lay together on a chaise lounge on Alfred’s balcony. His finger traced the sharp line of her chin.  _She was too thin. I hope she is eating right. Without Alfred there force-feeding her there was no telling._

He flicked his thumb and picked up the call. He heard the line connect and wasn’t surprised when she didn’t speak, she often didn’t. They both sat in silence as the endless distance between was bridged for a moment by Wayne Satellite Technology. It was not a battle of wills that kept them from speaking; it was that just that they didn’t need to. Bruce shook his head as he realized again, how in tune she was with him, “I can’t stop thinking of you Selina.” His voice was a raspy whisper.

There was a long pause before she responded, “Is that good or bad?”

Bruce rubbed his brow as he lay back on the bed, “Both I guess. Looking at that damn picture of you on my desk is torture.” Her low laugh stirred butterflies in his stomach and he tried not to be angry at how helpless he was to control himself when it came to her. “It seems every time I turned around today your name was in my ear.”

Selina asked the question again more tentatively, “Hummm…That good or bad?”

Bruce shook his head and smiled, “Both.” His smile faded as he felt her apprehension, “You could have just texted me about Blake, Selina. There wasn’t a need to make it sting.”

“Yeah well seeing that paycheck stung me, Bruce.” Her words carried her anger. “Especially knowing I had done less than nothing to earn it as I serve my exile here in Italy.”

He shut his eyes and absorbed the cut from her sharp tongue. He recovered himself and tried to lighten the mood between them. “You might have wished you kept that check, I hear you and Sigmund have been on quite the shopping spree outfitting our house.”

Selina chuckled, “Cat’s out of the bag on that finally, huh? Well, not to worry, Bruce. I’ve still got a few bucks tucked away for a rainy day. I haven’t had to dip into the Wayne trust just yet.”

Bruce felt himself bristle slightly at that. He wasn’t sure if it was because she basically told him stolen money was outfitting their house or because she made a point of not using  _his_  money. His eyes slid open and he studied the fan spinning slowly around on the ceiling above him. “Jessica’s ill-gotten gains still tiding you over are they?”

Selina chuckled, “Something like that.”

Bruce refused to allow himself to be baited into an argument with her. “Despite how you are funding it, I like the idea of you picking the things that are going into our home, Selina.”

She was quiet on the other end of the line, “You do? Well don't get too misty over it. Sigmund actually deserves most of the credit. He has completely lived up to the stereotypical role of a gay decorator. I turn him loose with a line of credit and all I have to do is drink wine and reel him in when he gets too far out of bounds.” Bruce’s smile faltered with her next sentence, “You will have to tell me how it all came together when you tour it at the dedication.”

Bruce realized then that he would be attending the ceremony without her. He would be walking through a house she had decorated...that was supposed to be theirs...without her at his side. His voice hardened as he locked down on the emotion.  _This is no time to lose my focus._  “There’s still no sign of him, Selina. No sightings.” The implication was there.  _It still isn’t safe for you here, Selina._

Another long pause on her end, “You should tell Gordon to get someone down to the Bowery. There is a lot of information to be had if he has the right person in there. The Joker will be needing personnel and weapons. Crown Point could be where he goes to make some contacts. Someone there might have a line on him.”

Bruce tried not to let his voice waver, “I used to know a woman that could waltz right into a place like that and come out with all the answers.” He shut his eyes as he imagined her doing just that.

Selina volleyed back, “I know that chick. A natural badass broad if I am remembering her right. Let me know if you wise up and decide to admit you need her help.”

 _The invitation was there all I have to do is tell her to come and she would be here. She was pretty pissed though; she would probably make me beg._ Bruce sighed and lay back against the pillows of his bed, his hand rearranged himself as his body was making him painfully aware of exactly how much  _it_  too was missing Ms. Selina Kyle.

Selina’s voice was a low whisper when she finally broke the silence; “You fall asleep on me, Boy Scout?”

Bruce sighed as he imagined her hands in his hair and shook his head. Goose bumps rose on his skin and he shivered at the thought of her touch. “No kitten, I’m not sleeping. I haven’t been sleeping much at all lately.”

Her disapproval was obvious as she clucked her tongue and growled low in her throat, “Alfred told me that when I talked with him last. What am I going to do with you, handsome?”

Bruce slipped his hand into his sweat pants and gave into the aching need. “Tell me kitten what  _would_  you do with me?”

She chuckled knowingly and practically purred in to the receiver, “Well I damn sure wouldn’t let you touch yourself like you are doing right now that’s for sure.”

Bruce smiled and his low laugh mingled with hers. “You aren’t here to stop me darling. Besides…this is all I have. Just your voice and my hand.” The aforementioned hand stroked him now as he listened to her breath quicken. He pulled himself over the elastic waistband of his fleece joggers and shut his eyes imagining himself inside her as he listened to her voice.

“Believe me handsome you wouldn’t want your hand in the way tonight. I can still remember how good you taste…how you felt against my lips…like soft velvet over rock hard steel.”

Bruce groaned as his hand increased the speed and pressure as he pursued his release. Selina talked and teased him until he was panting into the receiver. She had asked him to wait twice already telling him to slow down and control himself, that she deserved him to wait until she said he could finish.  _Jesus if it’s not the sexiest thing ever when she denies me …when she made me wait._

Now she did have him begging her. She promised that he could finish if he told her what he was thinking of to bring himself off, “Tell me Bruce. What is it?”

He gasped as he felt himself drawing up, his orgasm was imminent, “You…you laid over the Tumbler in Applied Sciences. Jesus, Selina.” His voice barely able to grind out the words, “You in that leather skirt bent over for me. Legs spread…me taking you hard over the hood. God, I dream about it at night…your white skin against the dark metal. It’s too much. Selina, let me baby. I need to...”

“Almost…almost,” she panted back as he struggled to hold on.

 _Fuck this was all my fault. I deserve this...to be strung out like this…for choosing to leave her._ Sweat was beading on his skin as he pressed back against the pillows, “Please, Selina. Please.” He heard her soft gasp and he recognized the sound immediately.  _She’s coming. Goddamnit...oh sweet baby. She had been touching herself while she was getting me off._  His stomach clenched painfully, “Now Selina. I’ve got to…now…now.”

“Then go ahead, handsome. Come for me.”

He did immediately. The force of his orgasm was so strong it was nearly painful. He had not experienced such a desperate climax since their first night together. Her soft laugh taunted him through the phone as his body contracted repeatedly, “I should have made you wait for me to have another. One with you is never enough.”

Bruce panted as he listened to her voice, the space around him melted until it was only the two of them. The connection with her obliterated the miles between them and all the nonsense external to their relationship seemed incidental. He thought of their little game in Applied Sciences and smiled.  _Jesus, she is a witch. That is the only explanation. She is a witch and she has me completely spellbound and powerless against her._  His hands shook as he toweled himself clean, “Tell me what you were thinking of, Selina.”

Her voice was low and sensual when she spoke, “Monte Carlo. Bruce…it keeps me up nights just thinking about it.”

He exhaled and his hands clutched the soiled towel.  _Come to Gotham. I want you here with me. I need you here. I should have never let my fear get in the way of what we have. I need you in my life…in my bed_. All of the words died on his lips and he exhaled a frustrated breath.

Selina sighed, “I miss you, Bruce.”

Bruce groaned, “I miss you too Selina, more than you know.”

“Bruce this is ridiculous. There is no telling how long he will be underground. Are we going to just let him keep us apart indefinitely?”

Bruce felt his shoulders sag and his head dropped back against the headboard that supported him, “Not indefinitely, Selina.”

“With the pillow next to me empty night after night it feels pretty indefinite, Bruce.”

Her voice held annoyance, but not sadness and he was grateful for that. As he stared up at the ceiling and his body wound down from its climax he thought more about the nights without her and suddenly their separation felt all too indefinite to him as well. “Please be patient with me, Selina.”

She growled into the phone, “Awhile more Wayne. But, I’m telling you now...don’t be surprised when I show up naked in your bed some night very soon. I’ve about had all of this separation I can stand. Joker be damned.”

 

 

x

 

x

Edit credit to CHEED


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce accepted Blake’s extended hand as the younger man hefted him off the mat. He could not help but smile. It had been an intuitive mingling of Kung-Fu and Jujitsu offered in a fluid blended block and counterstrike that served to repel Bruce’s own choice of a pure Muay Thai offensive. Blake was helpless not to grin himself as he proudly bowed and they resumed their sparing. Bruce considered taking Blake down a peg by escalating the lesson, but held himself back.  _The kid has been training hard and he deserves to feel good about the maneuvers he just put together._

Bruce silently circled along the peripheral of the mat waiting for Blake to initiate as was per their fighting protocol. After absorbing an attack you were then expected to advance the next strike. Blake had a very noticeable tell that predicated his leg sweeps, Bruce had coached him on it repeatedly, but it was obvious now from the flinch of Blake’s calf that his pupil had not heeded his warning.

Bruce braced for the sweep and nearly overbalanced when it did not come. Blake went high instead, hooking Bruce’s shoulder, leveraging him into a hip toss. Bruce reacted automatically and countered with a spinning redirection that bound Blake into an ude-garami, a vicious keylock arm bar that he then effortlessly morphed into a shoulder lock. Blake was left tangled on the mat, panting in pain. Bruce held it for a few moments allowing Blake to discover for himself how inescapable the hold was before releasing him. They knelt facing one another and Bruce complimented him, “I see you have learned your lesson on shifting your weight before you strike. You knew I would be looking for it. You used my knowledge of your skills to disadvantage me. Very well done.”

Blake rubbed his shoulder attempting to restore circulation to the appendage, “Funny…it didn’t  _feel_  very well done. Can you show me what you just did there?”

Bruce nodded and silently positioned their arms to recreate the move. Blake took notice of Bruce’s grip and then recreated the hold on Wayne. When he finally locked it correctly, Blake realized the complexity of the move.  _How Bruce had managed to get that slipped on me as we were falling toward the mat is beyond my comprehension._ He released Bruce and they practiced it until Wayne told him his shoulder couldn’t tolerate the impingement anymore. Blake backed away apologetically and Bruce shook his head and summoned him back with a wave of his hand and a smirk, “The lesson isn’t over Blake, you just need to switch sides.”

Blake reproduced the move using Wayne’s other arm until he had perfected the maneuver, deftly locking down on Bruce’s shoulder rendering him immobile. Blake released him and accepted the nod that was given when he had finally performed a skill to acceptable standards. He remained kneeling and watched as Bruce gathered himself off the mat and walked nonchalantly over to the benches that lined the wall of the former ballroom turned dojo.

Blake peered down at himself and marveled at the knowledge that seemed contained in the simple flesh and blood of his hands. When he just shut off his mind and let his body react was when he performed his best. He flexed his fingers and watched as the corded tendons stood out on his forearms. Light bruises decorated his arms from countless collisions with bone, sinew and armor, but under the discolored skin was muscle growing hard from hours of pushing weights and pushing the envelope as he worked as understudy to the Batman.

Sweat rolled down Bruce’s bare back moistening the waist band of his black karate pants as he took several long pulls from his water bottle. He watched Blake as he recapped the lid.  _The kid is coming along nicely. Whether he realized it or not he was becoming a force to be reckoned with._ Several of Gotham’s night crawlers had gotten a taste of him when they were out on maneuvers. Blake had dispatched the three street thugs without the slightest hesitation. Bruce had watched, ready to join if he had needed him. He had not. When the last one fell, Blake had spun a quick circle as if anticipating more attacks. Bruce had smirked under his cowl.  _After the nights of endless battles against me, those punks hadn’t even been enough to get his heart rate up._

Bruce tossed the water bottle aside and cocked his head, “Feel like going over a few more locks?”

Blake nodded and then his brows rose as Alfred broke in unexpectedly, “Pardon the interruption gentleman. Mr. Gordon is here and he stated it was of the utmost importance that he speak with you both.”

The men toweled off and threw on their respective shirts, a green GCPD hoodie for Blake and a nondescript charcoal grey Adidas tee for Wayne. They entered into the living area and Bruce could not help but glance around expectantly for Meghan. Gordon smiled tightly, reading the look on Bruce’s face. “I’m afraid it’s not a social call that brings me out today.” He waited for Blake to arrive and shook his hand in greeting. “Looking good kid. Your training must be coming along well?”

Blake smiled at the compliment and nodded then his mood grew serious as he felt the commissioner’s anxiety. “Everything ok with you, Commissioner?”

Gordon shook his head that it was not as he clasped his hands together and looked at Wayne as he spoke. “As per your suggestion Bruce, we put an undercover officer down in the Bowery. He glanced over at Blake, “Her remains were found this morning in a dumpster behind the 15th precinct.” He now focused solely on Blake, “I’m sorry John. It was Bethany Kerr.”

Bruce felt himself seize up as he watched for Blake’s reaction, it was obviously someone he was familiar with from the way Gordon broke the news to him and how he now waited guarded for Blake’s response to his terrible revelation.

Blake looked rocked, obviously taken aback by her death, “Wha-what happened? Do you have any idea?”

Gordon took a breath, “Most obvious thing would be that she got made as a cop. Somehow her cover was blown.” Gordon looked down at his feet, “She was stabbed to death and dumped behind the patrol house. A drug task force officer found her this morning when his canine alerted on the dumpster. The MA gave out the preliminaries unofficially so we could expedite the investigation.”

Bruce fixed his eyes on Gordon as he read something in his mannerisms, “What else is there, Jim?”

Gordon looked again at Blake and he hesitated for a long moment, “There was mutilation to the body. Pre and post mortem.”

Bruce centered his attention on the former police officer. Noting his pallid face, “John, maybe you should—”

“No.” Blake interrupted, “I want to know what happened to her. Commissioner, you said she was mutilated...did you mean beyond the stabbing?”

Gordon nodded, “There were…bites. The ME said they were too many to accurately estimate on the initial exam, he just confirmed they were human in origin.”

Bruce watched as Blake turned away and faced out the window, “Jesus,” was the young man’s only response.

Gordon looked up at Bruce and shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks, “I don’t know if Selina was on target with the Bowery being the Joker’s recruiting grounds, but something terrible is damn sure happening down there. Officer Kerr’s initial report contained information on illegal gambling and drug and prostitution rings that are being run out of business down there. She mentioned the possibly of some cops on the take as well.”

Gordon swept his glasses off his face and polished them with a handkerchief before putting them back on. “I don’t know if that’s why they dumped her at the impound lot. Maybe to send a message, a warning possibly.”

Bruce looked at Blake and saw the young man was still shaken looking blankly out over the city, so Bruce spoke for the both of them, “We will look into things ourselves, Jim. I’m sorry to hear that you lost an officer.”

Gordon looked sharply up at him, “I have two more still down there, Bruce. I have no way of pulling them out, of warning them that they could be walking into a setup.”

Blake turned back suddenly clear and needing answers, “Who? Who are they?”

Gordon shook his head in sympathy, “You wouldn’t know them, Blake. These two were already deep undercover with the gang task force, long before Bane took control. They stayed under during the siege helping where they could until the city got back under control.” Gordon gave Bruce a self-deprecating look, “It might be best for everyone that we don’t have more intel on them, especially if there is a cop on the take selling out officers. As of right now only their handler knows who and where they are and believe me, that woman isn’t talking. Not to me, not to anyone.”

Bruce stepped forward, I will need everything you do have on them Jim, everything including the name of their handler. If she won’t talk to you she might just be willing to talk to the Batman.”

x

Bruce had wondered why Gordon had given him such a look of sympathy. He figured it out when he met the woman that was handling the two undercover officers. Bruce had to accept that there were people he couldn’t intimidate and people he wouldn’t try to intimidate. The elderly GPD retiree Margaret Gunter was a representative of both groups.

She was seventy if she was a day and she was full of enough spit and vinegar to rival old Alfred himself. Her long thin hair was pulled back in a loose bun and at first glance she looked like a kindly old librarian, but she had been on the front lines of Gotham law enforcement for decades. She was one of the first female officers to ever walk a beat in the city and she was years and miles beyond falling victim to intimidation or trickery. Blake had recounted her history to Bruce without ever having consulted the database. “I didn’t realize she still worked for the department in any capacity, but from what I heard, she is a tough old broad.”

Bruce used the direct approach. As her old car parked in front of her modest brownstone and she emerged lifting, a small bag of groceries out of the trunk he made himself visible in the low light of her porch. She faltered for a moment and then her hand slipped into her oversized purse, she had a handgun drawn out an instant later. He remained still and let her approach him. She was cautious but unafraid.  _Tough broad indeed._

“Look pal. You aren’t the first punk I’ve seen put on a football pads and run around the streets playing Batman. But you need to go play caped crusader somewhere beside my front porch or you’ll likely get extra holes popped in your little get-up.” Blake smiled as he watched from his hidden perch as the old woman drew down on Bruce and fearlessly called out the Batman.

Bruce didn’t smile, but admiration filled his eyes. He used her name and told her that the commissioner was concerned with the safety of the officers under her care. He requested their names and locations offering to go in himself to extract them.

Margaret lowered her weapon, but she did not surrender. Instead she dug her heels in deeper and shook her head, “These kids didn’t give up nearly a year of their lives to have their cover blown by a character in a cape swooping in to save the day when it don’t need saving. They have jobs to do. Let them do ‘em.” She had approached him cautiously but she was close enough now that she realized she truly was in the presence of the Batman. Her tone changed from combative to nearly apologetic, “Now, they report every three weeks or so, I can give them any message you and Gordon need then. But that is the best I can do for you, son.”

Bruce had not been surprised by her response; Blake and Gordon had both prepared him for it. He held a gloved hand out to her and she took it allowing him to assist her up the steps of her stoop. “There is a very real chance that police are involved, information was leaked, it has cost one police officer her life already. Your people could be next.”

The woman steadied herself and looked at him sternly as she released his hand, “Dirty cops,” Disgust was in her voice. “That is even more reason for them to stay put and figure out who’s who. These two _are_ my responsibility and I take that  _plenty_  serious. No one but me knows who they are and that is as safe as an undercover cop will ever be in Gotham City.”

She looked hard into his eyes and Bruce had to hold himself steady trusting that she would see only the Batman and not the familiar face of Bruce Wayne. “There is a subculture at work up there that you can’t understand. Outsiders never do. These two have spent every day for a year living a lie to infiltrate into that network of degenerates and thieves. They know the risks. It’s what they signed on for.” She lay a hand on his armored arm, “You’re not the only one that is fighting criminals in Gotham, even if it might feel that way sometimes. Now best you stand back, son and let them handle their business.”

x

They spent the rest of the night and into the early morning hours hunting the Bowery and working the Point as Selina suggested. Blake worked from the southern-most section west and Bruce from the east, meeting at the apex of the burrows.

Crown Point was the merge point of streets that represented a redistricting of the Bowery. It had been drawn with jagged edges and dramatic dips and juts that when inked in on a map resembled a tiara or crown. The district had been strategically drawn that way to avoid the black vote in Gotham’s early racially charged elections. Eventually the entire area went so far down the dumpster that the only redistricting that would benefit a politician was one that could exclude the area entirely. By the time Gotham corrected the obvious affront to the political system the name Crown Point had attached itself to the area and became synonymous with poverty debauchery corruption and violence

The Bowery had always been crime ridden but Bruce had been surprised to hear Selina refer to it as ‘ _scuz central’_  when he called her before heading out earlier that night. He had awoken her and she had sleepily answered with a mumble of sounds that didn’t quite form actual words. When he mentioned the Bowery she had snapped awake. Bruce switched her to speaker and both he and Blake listened attentively as they suited up to hit the streets and she detailed out what she knew of the Bowery.

She called out several bars and their specialties be it drugs or women. She made some educated guesses at a few places they might try that had dealt in weapons and protection before. Blake asked her directly why she was being so vague about the names of the bars instead just going by location. She explained that the business there opened for a short while only to close and reopen under different names to avoid search and seizure warrants. “The name changes and relocations stymie criminal investigations. Right as the police began to build cases against the owners and establishments they closed and the process repeated itself.” She yawned “The best thing to do is just circulate until you recognized the operators. Their game never changes they just migrate around the Bowery. Hit the places I suggested and I bet you find weapons getting dealt.”

Blake waited for Bruce to tell her about the murderers and was surprised when he didn’t. Selina was under the assumption that they were still going down there for the Joker. Hell they might be for all they knew. Blake tightened down the cowl on his face, the added padding helping with the slippage, but it had done nothing to remedy the claustrophobic restriction he felt when he put it on. He glanced over at Bruce as Selina was listing several names they should look into along with descriptions and aliases of the men that ran the bars last she knew. Blake started to ask a question about the MO of their suspect and Bruce’s sharp look cut him off clean. Selina questioned it, “What was that Blake?”

Bruce interjected, “We have to go... now.” He paused for a moment his finger poised over the button on his forearm that would deactivate the speaker.

“Yeah? Well, you’re welcome for the help... assholes.” She disconnected the line before Bruce was forced to do it himself.

Bruce gave Blake a warning look as he read the question on the young man’s face, “I don’t want her involved in this. “

The young man looked at him incredulously, “You just woke her out of bed and involved her, Bruce.” He shook his head in disbelief, “You can’t have things both ways you know.” Bruce glared at him his eyes obviously daring him to finish his thought, Blake didn’t back off, “You don’t get to reap the benefit of her knowledge and then pretend you don’t know how she came by it. She isn’t a little princess in a castle, Bruce. She has been down in the dungeon with these bastards. She might know something that could lead us to the animal that killed a police officer. An officer I went through the academy with...a friend. Why wouldn’t you give her the chance to help us?”

Bruce glared at him and when he spoke his voice was the icy rasp of the Batman, “I don’t have to explain myself to you. Selina is to know nothing about the murders, Blake. Nothing.”

x

Two nights later the body of a second woman was found slumped behind the wheel of an unmarked police unit in the Bowery. The bites on her neck so severe that individual marks just meshed into a bloody ring of gore. Blake looked at Bruce as they stood in the darkness and watched as the police processed the scene.

Gordon informed them later that it hadn’t been one of his undercover officers but rather a vice squad detective from the inner precinct. They stood together on the roof of the MCU beside the darkened spotlight as Gordon briefed them. He looked down at the asphalt rooftop and shook his head, “I don’t know what this is, but it feels different...not at all like the Joker.”

Blake and Bruce both nodded their agreement on that. Its violent and senselessness nature was nothing out of the Joker’s wheelhouse, but it didn’t feel like his typical crime. There was no grandiose message to the city, no personal call out to the Batman. This had a personal nature, but it was personal between the police and the killer. “This feels territorial, like a dog pissing on trees.” Gordon’s jaw worked as his thoughts tried to coalesce, “He made an example out of those police officers.”

Bruce let his mind work on the crime scene, “I don’t disagree with your take on it Jim...but the bites make it...more. They are personal against the women, done for their punishment and his gratification. You have a cop killer on your hands to be sure, but he is also a violent sadist. We need to figure out what his connection was to these women. They were women trained in self-defense and criminal apprehension, but he overcame their training and he killed them with confidence. He has doubtlessly killed before and he will only escalate in violence from here.”

Blake and Bruce spent the remainder of the evening patrolling the Bowery. Moving along in the shadows until daylight reclaimed the city and they were forced to drop back and strategize a new response.

Alfred woke both Bruce and Blake at noon. Blake for his martial arts lesson and Bruce for his video conference call with Pepper Pots. Lucky for Bruce he had only to pull on a t-shirt and dial in for the private meeting. Pepper had chided him about a bachelor’s life and sleeping the days away before offering him a detailed breakdown of the progress made on the clean energy initiative.

Pepper sent both he and Fox a link to the report findings and signed off by scolding him on keeping late hours while his fiancée was away. She then asked him why the hell she was in Italy and why the news hadn’t been broken on the Wayne engagement. Bruce had absorbed the barbs good-naturedly until he realized the way Pepper spun things it made it seem like he was hiding his engagement with Selina.

He hung up the phone and started an introspective soul search that ended at Alfred’s side as he questioned his butler about Pepper’s observations. Alfred had assured him that Selina was as private an individual as he and that she doubtlessly understood the need for discretion and that she likely thought nothing of the lack of fanfare surrounding their engagement. Alfred had him thoroughly convinced that he was tracking on course until his final statement, “Of course Selina Kyle is an exceptional woman in that regard Master Wayne. Any other lass that was proposed to, whisked away and then summarily abandoned in a foreign country might have a dampened spirit. Instead of crying into her pillow at night your missus is likely plotting murderous revenge. “

Bruce called Selina immediately and for the next hour she got to talk him down off his anxiety ridden ledge of guilt. She reassured him that she loved him and that she understood. She did tell him that all of that understanding came with an expiration date and if not for Alfred’s correct assumption of her ability to entertain herself with revenge plots that she would have long since forced him to deal with his anxiety and face her inevitable return to Gotham.

Bruce growled at her threat and asked her again to be patient. He tried to entice her into a lighter conversation asking her how she had actually been spending her free time and was pained to hear her say that she was exploring the city’s night life, dancing and club hopping. Bruce consoled himself that she was likely jerking his chain and that if she was out partying it was with Sigmund on her arm. Knowing it was a gay man accompanying her was shallow consolation when he was left imagining her dancing without him all long legs and short dresses. He resigned himself to the new hell into which she had just cast him and sighed in frustration.

She whispered softly to him, “If I was there I could help you with that headache of yours, Wayne. He smirked into the phone and didn’t bother wondering how she knew he had the beginnings of a migraine, she could always tell.

He pressed his fingertips against the back of his skull, “Just knowing you are far and away from Gotham brings me all the relief I need.”

Selina sighed and her mood shifted, “I’m done Bruce. This isn’t going to work.”

He froze at her words, his eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly in the bed, “What are you saying Selina?”

“Bruce you love Gotham and you love me. I haven’t asked you to make a choice, but you are doing your damnedest to keep us separated from one another. We aren’t women you have to choose between Bruce, but as I watch you spend night after night in the gritty city I’m starting to feel like the ugly girl out.”

“Selina...” Bruce started in on damage control.

She broke in, “Bruce. I’m not finished.” She paused to make sure he was listening and not still trying to offer up his consolations and platitudes. Satisfied he was going to stay silent she continued, her voice even and controlled. “I thought originally this was about the Joker and I tried to be understanding, but now I think it’s more than that. It’s like you are trying to shield me away from everything. Protecting me from Gotham entirely.”

She paused and Bruce could feel her organizing her thoughts choosing her words, “I think it really is more than the Joker now, Bruce. I think you look around that city and you don’t want me anywhere near it, but you also realize that it is the only place you feel like you belong. I think you have seen so much of the dark side of Gotham that it’s all you see anymore. The danger...the violence...the crime.”

The ache in his head was prominent now but he preferred it to the pain promised by the dagger poised to drive into his heart. “What are you saying Selina? What are you driving at?”

“I’m saying Bruce, that I know about the killings.” The silence stretched between them. “I have been waiting for you to tell me, to voluntarily include me in what you are going through and you haven’t.” Another pregnant pause, “That speaks volumes to me Bruce. It tells me that I’m right that it is more than the Joker. You are acting as if I need protection from everything now, even from the truth.” She exhaled in frustration, “It’s like when you heard the Joker’s name it sent your protective mode into overdrive... And just a FYI, Bruce...your protective tendencies were already pretty difficult to deal with before he escaped from Arkham.”

He swallowed and held himself back from a rebuttal, Selina had the floor and she obviously wasn’t finished talking. Her voice wavered as she continued, “So yeah, Bruce...I’m done. I’m done coming in second to Gotham City.”

What struck him more than the imagery she painted of Gotham as his trashy mistress was her statement... ‘ _I am done.’_  He took a breath and held it. “Tell me we aren’t over, Selina.”

She didn’t hesitate, he had to give her credit for that kindness. She could have let him suffer waiting for the kill stroke, but she didn’t. “ _Bruce, we will never be over._  But I  _am_   _over_  this waiting game.  _I’m done_  being the dutiful fiancée that tiptoes around your insecurities. I’m tired of waiting for you to come to your senses. That is not who I am, Bruce. It is killing me that you expect me to be this kind of woman...a fucking shrinking violet. Frankly, Bruce...  _You are pissing me off!_ ”

The phone line disconnected and Bruce was left with his neck in a noose and Selina’s hand holding the rope. He tossed his phone on the floor at his feet and watched dispassionately as it skidded across the wooden slats.  _I’m fucking this up...She is giving up on me..._

X

Blake and Alfred shared worried looks when Bruce didn’t appear for dinner. Alfred went to check on him and reported to Blake that the master would not be joining them as he had been stricken with a migraine. Forty minutes later Bruce made a liar out of his dutiful butler. He emerged from his bedroom looking ragged but serviceable. Blake followed him with worried eyes as he finished off his dinner. Bruce looked at the plate of food and only narrowly managed not to dry heave at the thought of eating.

Alfred held himself back from offering help or scolding the master for having left the confines of his room. Bruce opened the cabinet in the kitchen and rifled through the contents until he found a new bottle of the pills Fox had supplied. He shook out four into his palm and downed them dry. “Blake, give me thirty minutes and we’ll go. Blake accepted the timeline silently and continued to eat. Bruce pocketed the pill bottle in the black silk pajama bottoms he wore as he walked by Alfred and hung his head not willing to meet the old man’s accusatory gaze as he knew a reprimand was inevitable.

Alfred followed him to the master suite where he prepared a shower and laid out the shaving implements for Bruce. He dimmed the lights in the bathroom and went to collect the master off his leather sitting chair. “Master Wayne,” he touched his elbow lightly and was relieved when Bruce did not startle. “Have a few sips of this to coat your stomach. Those pills will likely cause you to upset if you don’t have a bit of something in your stomach.”

Bruce smiled at the care of his old butler and accepted the small carton of chocolate milk. Not as good as Alfred concocted, but not at all bad. Good enough that Wayne had purchased the company when it bankrupted a few years back solely to ensure that they kept manufacturing the naturally flavored milk. He was still taking a bath on the profit loss reports, but the payoff for that was sitting cold in his hand. He sipped down the liquid as he rubbed at the base of his neck. “I’m screwing up Alfred.” He tried focusing his blurry eyes on the milk carton and blinked hard trying to clear his vision.

Alfred sat on the arm rest best him, “It was a risky investment at best, Master Wayne.”

Bruce looked up confused for a moment then realized Alfred was speaking of the milk manufacture. He shook his head, “No Alfred. Selina. I’m messing it up. She…can’t take much more of this Alfred.” Bruce shook his head and took another small sip of the milk, before his stomach rolled and he knew he couldn’t handle anymore.

Alfred took the carton back from Bruce and watched him with fatherly concern, “She was a calculated risk as well Master Wayne. You need to have the same patience with her as you have in your other investments. You know a good thing when you see it Master Wayne. Trust the choice you made. Just don’t lose sight of what it was about her that you fell in love with. Selina Kyle is not a fragile China doll that is to be set on a shelf to admire and collect dust. Bruce, having her sequestered in Italy is not loving her, she should be with you or you might as well not have her at all.”

Bruce looked up at Alfred and felt the truth of his words. He asked himself again if loving him was worth the danger it put her in. Facing the prospect of her returning to Gotham made him feel more pressure to answer that question.  _Should I just let her go_?  _Would it be kinder for both of us just to end it now before I exposed her to…him. Before it is too late and she pays the price for my hubris._

“Trust her abilities, Master Wayne. That is all she is asking you to do,” Alfred squeezed his shoulder and stood, “Now let’s get you up and about. You and Master Blake have a killer to catch.”

X

Another night another victim. A twenty-five year-old dispatcher from police fire and rescue, stabbed with bite marks to her breasts. Blake covered the graphic photos as Alfred walked into the study. He placed down a cup of coffee and glass of water. “From the nature of your work tonight master Blake I assumed you might rather put off dinner.”

Blake grimaced , “Good call, Alfred. Is Bruce home yet?”

Alfred shook his head, “Late meeting with Fox.”

Blake made a face, “Is that good thing?”

Alfred chuckled without humor, “There has not been much good coming out of these late night meetings recently I’m afraid. Likely another corporate pull-out.”

Blake rubbed his face, “Man if Bruce didn’t own this city before, he will when this is all over with.”

Alfred sighed looking down at the closed files, “As if he didn’t have enough on his plate as it were.” He nodded down to the folder, “Are you two any closer in the investigation?”

Blake shook his head, “Not at all. Seems we are just waiting for the next body to appear.” Blake looked up at the understanding English gentleman, “It’s bad, Alfred...really bad. I’ve never seen Gordon so worried. He feels like he can’t trust his own people and he is losing officers. Women are being butchered. He is putting all of his faith in Bruce and I and we are coming up empty. I hate it. I feel sick inside over it.” He glanced behind Alfred and lowered his voice, “I really think Selina could help on this and Bruce won’t bring her in.”

Alfred drew in a breath, “Master Blake, tread lightly. Bruce is not one to be trifled with in matters concerning the missus. He is set in his mind and he will not be dissuaded. He will not willingly permit her return to Gotham.”

Bruce’s voice sounded behind them, “You're right Alfred I won’t permit it. Why are you two even discussing the matter?” Bruce’s hazel green eyes pierced through Blake and only his police training on lie detection kept his eyes from dropping to the folder on the table like a confession of his sin.

Alfred stood and took the brunt of Bruce’s forceful gaze. “Master Blake was inquiring if Missus Kyle would be attending the dedication on Friday. I informed him of your staunch opposition to the idea despite all that she did to contribute to the project.” Somehow Alfred managed to sound both haughty and disapproving despite the blatant untruth.

Bruce glared between the men and his eyes settled back on Alfred. “I know you want her to be there, especially considering her contributions and our engagement, but I’m serious Alfred... I will not have her in this city. Not as long as the Joker remains a threat.”

Alfred raised a brow, “I believe that was exactly the sentiment I just echoed, Master Wayne. I assume by your surly demeanor that things with Fox did not go well.”

Bruce clenched his jaw and accepted the subject change, “They certainly did not. Thanks for asking.” He dropped his hands to his hips and rolled his head cracking his neck, “Blake we need to make it a quick workout tonight I want to hit the Bowery early, Gordon has picked up intel on some weapons trading activity out of a bar on the west end.”

Blake nodded and stood quickly giving Alfred a look that was testament to offering himself into indentured servitude for Alfred having covered his ass. Alfred just gave him a small nod, “Master Blake I will have some dinner ready for you after your training session.” Alfred looked up at Bruce, “Would you care for a cup of coffee? It appears you are in for a long evening sir.”

Bruce nodded in grim agreement with Alfred’s assessment. He took coffee with Alfred as Blake readied himself for their lesson. Bruce told Alfred then of the newest wrinkle in the energy initiative as apparently there had been several attempted break-ins at the LA facility and threats had been made against both Pepper and Tony. They were being investigated by the FBI and CIA and found to have reasonable merit.

Alfred considered the implications of this new threat as he researched the possible organizations involved while he sipped brandy and awaited the return of the two men from their nightly tour. Hours later Bruce and Blake returned none the closer in the investigation. They had stood witness to a small level weapons deal, handguns and armor piercing rounds. They didn’t disrupt the transaction, they just did recon as Gordon was anticipating the possibility this might escalate into something more fruitful including a possible line in on the Joker. He made them aware of the intelligence gathered on the deal because he didn’t want to risk the wrong officers being in the know.

Bruce and Blake were sitting at the counter as Alfred put together sandwiches for them. Bruce helped himself to another milk seeming to enjoy it now that his headache passed. Blake quirked an eyebrow at him and smirked, “Are you digressing back to your childhood, drinking chocolatey milk?”

Bruce just gave him a side look of annoyance. “Everybody drinks chocolate milk after a workout like we had tonight, Blake. You should know that.”

Blake frowned and picked up an unopened container reading the label and obviously not making the connection, “Why?”

Bruce launched into the bio science behind the practice explaining the body’s ability to quickly metabolize the mix of carbohydrates and protein to quickly replenish exhausted sources of energy and minimize the body’s natural reflex to cannibalize muscle for fuel. He added in that it was low in sodium and sugar and high in calcium and other nutrients. Blake looked down at the paper carton with a newfound respect before opening it and downing the contents in one long chug, “They should put that on the carton, I was just drinking them cuz they taste good.”

Bruce looked at him for a long moment and a strange look passed over his face. He picked up his phone off the counter and sent a text. A few minutes later a response bounced back. Fox: ' _I will notify Donovan group in the morning of the rebranding project. Good night Mr. Wayne.'_

Bruce smirked down at the phone before he typed in, ' _Go ahead and make the offer for Dublin’s bottling and distribution. Bring the crew back to work. I have an idea.'_

A sharp beep from his phone: ' _Now that I am up buying things we can no longer afford ...is there anything else you require of me, Mr. Wayne?'_

Bruce smiled and typed _, 'Not at this time Fox, I’m off to bed. Why are you awake at this hour anyways?'_

Alfred watched Bruce with amusement. It was times like this that Bruce reminded him so much the precocious little boy that he had once been. He was up to something and this time it involved more than sneaking condensed milk off high shelves in the pantry. “I wonder exactly what might be up your sleeve, Master Wayne?”

Bruce looked up and lifted the little carton in a toast, “A very lucrative marketing idea was just born in your kitchen, Alfred.”

x

Bruce woke shortly before noon and rolled over to his side. He yawned and tried to clear the disjointed dreams from his mind. He didn’t mind dreaming of Selina, it was the waking up without her that bothered him. He reached over and collected his Mac off the nightstand and flipped open the top to enter in his security password. The screen loaded and a few seconds later he was looking at the GPS tracking history of the pearls. He pulled up the time line and scrolled day by day noting various stops along the canal, the university and home then an evening of café’s and as she had mentioned clubs.

He frowned slightly as he narrowed the search pattern from 10:30pm to 5:00am. The GPS tracking beacon lit up. The pattern crisscrossed across the downtown red-light district and stopped at a location off the historical center. He looked hard at the convergence of lines as he magnified the map and pulled up current GPS.

It was residential...and it was Selina’s current position.

He pulled the address ignoring a sinking feeling that was rolling in the pit of his stomach. He ran back the GPS on week nights she was home by 10:00 nearly every night…then Friday and Saturday she was there at the same address over night. His jaw clenched as he entered a side search on the residence utilizing the servers in the batcave to bypass security firewalls. He entered the address on the gps and cross referenced the tracking records to the residence. They intersected there daily, multiple times a day in fact. He paused as his breath was coming quicker.  _What the hell Selina? What are you doing?_

He caught himself and took a breath.  _Calm down Wayne. Give her the benefit of the doubt. She hasn’t done anything to warrant you to not trust her._  The search completed and the photo of the villa appeared. It was charming and tasteful and Bruce wasn’t happy. Then Bruce found the name of the man who owned it and he became more unhappy. When a personal search pulled up the man’s medical license and bio Bruce started dialing her number.

Niccolo Moretti was a third year intern at Santa Maria Nuova, one of the oldest hospitals in Florence. According to his search the hospital was supposedly founded by the father of Beatrice of famed Dante lore. Bruce stopped reading.  _That is all I need. The romance of Dante and Beatrice twisted into all of this..._  Bruce scoured the details of the doctor’s personal biography as represented by the hospital. Dr. Niccolo was specializing in Pediatrics, he was unmarried, supposedly enjoyed playing soccer and he was astonishingly if not alarmingly attractive. Bruce listened to the phone ring as he stared at the accompanying photo, it rang four times and then went to voice mail.

He pulled up the GPS tracker and stared at the dot blinking above the doctor’s address and he felt like the world had just twisted sideways. He looked around the room, hyper-aware of everything in his environment and how suddenly things seemed alien and foreign. He forced himself to draw deeper breaths as he tried to think through the situation. His phone beeped with a text message from, Selina. ‘ _Sorry missed your call. Am in the middle of something. Call you in a few?’_

Bruce nearly swore as he texted back, ‘ _Call me now.’_  He stared at the phone waiting for her response. Minutes stretched into an hour. Blake was with his judo instructor and Alfred was having brunch on the patio when her call finally rang through. He accepted it and then froze.  _What the hell am I going to say?_ He clutched the phone and tried to think.  _She doesn’t have a clue how wound up I am, or why... I can’t tell her I know where she is without laying my cards on the table about the pearls. Not to mention the fact I haven’t even given her the chance to tell me what’s going on...I’m not going to just accuse her am I...? I have to give her a chance to explain this to me._ “Selina.”

“Hey, Sorry I couldn’t get right back to you. Probably for the best, it gave you a chance to miss me a little bit more. Are you missing me, Bruce?” Her voice was light and effortlessly happy.

“Always,” he ground out, “You missing me?”

“Always,” she mimicked his gruff tone as she answered back with his same response.

He pressed his lips together and willed himself to calm, but it was too little too late, she had read into his silence, “What’s eating you today, Wayne? Did you call just to pick a fight with me? It’s too great a day for that, Bruce.” He could feel her smile through the phone.

“What’s so great about it, Selina?” He wanted to add more.  _Is it great because you have someone to spend it with.._. _?_

“Ugh... you really are in a snit aren’t you? Do me a favor and don’t call when you are all hormonal. It really harshes my good karma.”

Her voice was still light, but he got the message.  _Watch yourself Wayne. She is about to hang up on you. If she does you will spend the rest of the day imagining that Greek god playing doctor with the love of your life. Fuck._  ”How have you been spending your great day, Selina?” He asked the question as he looked down at her day laid out before him in GPS format.  _You spent the night with him…went to the farmers market this afternoon…and then went back to his villa. And there you have remained...explain it Selina...please help me understand..._

She paused, “Nothing special. Just a normal day in Florence. They all blur into one another after awhile.”

Bruce was seething, “Do they now…?”

Selina wasn’t stupid she picked up on his anger and her voice became cautious, “Why the sudden interest in my itinerary?”

Bruce stood now with his head dropped back against his shoulders feeling like his heart was being ripped out of his chest, “Well, Selina...you have a copy of my itinerary I figured we would discuss yours for a change.”

“Really?” Her voice dripped of sarcasm, “Well Bruce, if you are concerned with my whereabouts why don’t you come over here and see for yourself where I am or better yet, give the word and I will come to you.”

Bruce dropped the register of his voice revealing completely how angry he was, “I am  _very_  concerned with your whereabouts, Selina.  _Very. Concerned_.”

“Like I said Bruce, if you are  _that_  concerned with where I am and what I am doing then come over and see for yourself or pick me up at Gotham international.” The line disconnected and he was left holding on while it felt like Selina was letting go.

x

Bruce had tried her line a dozen times and it defaulted directly to voice mail. He had sat there on the edge of his bed for over an hour before he was able to pull his head out and come to terms with a few things. Firstly, Selina wasn’t cheating on him. He needed to accept that, not because he was so vain that he believed himself her ultimate prize, but because he believed Selina when she told him that she loved him. He saw it in every look and action when they were together.

So he sat there and let his heart talk to his brain for a few minutes.  _She loves me. That’s the end of it…she isn’t cheating on me. There is another explanation for what I found._  He sat there waiting for his mind to reject the blind faith he was showing. Seconds and minutes passed and he never questioned it again.  _She loves me...it is a fact_.  _I believe it with everything I am. Selina Kyle loves me. Something is wrong here...but whatever it is…it isn’t that._

He picked up the computer from his bedside and pulled up the man’s photo. He felt none of the angst from before.  _Why would Selina be at your house? Why... she had nothing to gain from you, no relationship to be had other than possibly a friendship. Selina had Sigmund...they are inseparable as friends...why would she take time away from him for...unless..._  He studied the man’s face and a small smile twisted his lips.  _Sigmund…_ His mind raced ahead several stages and he repeated his thought aloud. “Sigmund.”

Bruce quickly accessed the computer and pulled up the GPS tracker, he narrowed the search to week day mornings and afternoons to include time stamps. It pulled travel paths from various points throughout the city and they converged on the university where the GPS remained stationary for hours. It wasn’t just travel  _by_ the University it was travel  _to_  the University. “Fuck!” Bruce stood looking down on the computer. “Fuck!” He repeated as he considered the implications.

 _She knew. She figured out the pearls were tracked and she planted the tracer on Sigmund. I have been tracing Sigmund all over Florence. To the university…to clubs…to the canal._  He shut his eyes and recalled what Selina had said about not having selected the furnishings herself.. _. ‘I just turned Sigmund loose with a line of credit and all I had to do was sit back and reel him in...’_

He grabbed his phone and pulled up their call history from the night before. He looked at the call time when he had awoken her and then pulled the correlating data on the GPS tracker. According to this she shouldn’t have been in bed she should have been at a club a few blocks from the Museo Galileo drinking and dancing her ass off. The data showed two hours later that she left the bar and made a beeline to Dr. Love’s house where she stayed for an all-nighter. But it wasn’t Selina, it was Sigmund.

Bruce had fallen for the misdirection hook line and sinker.

“Alfred” his voice boomed. His long time companion lowered the magazine he had been reading and his cool blue eyes rested on Bruce as he exploded out onto the patio. “Alfred did you know?”

Bruce looked beside himself and Alfred could not fathom why, “Calm yourself Bruce and explain your question.”

“Did you know Selina was back in Gotham? How long Alfred? How long has she been here? Is she out at the Manor now?” His voice had lost none of its booming anger until he saw Alfred’s reaction to the news that Selina was in Gotham. In his surprise Alfred had stood quickly and tossed aside his magazine tipping over his perfectly blended mimosa. “Ms. Kyle is here?” Alfred looked over his shoulder as if he expected her to walk out onto the terrace behind him.

Bruce paced across the patio.  _Alfred didn’t know...she hasn’t contacted him._  Ace walked slowly up to him sniffing quizzically as if determining if his assistance was needed. Bruce stopped and looked down at the dog, who lowered his ears and whined submissively trying to sooth the angry man. It had the desired effect as Bruce snapped his fingers and called the dog to his side.

Ace responded immediately. His normal carefree gait was replaced with quick movements designed to please the human with his obedient response. He sat, his muscles tense as Bruce knelt down and stroked his head. The animal remained watchful and there was uncertainty in his eyes as if anticipating an unkindness to accompany the anger he sensed. Bruce continued to sooth the disturbed animal as he reined himself in.

When they had both calmed he stood and took out his phone and sent a message to Lucius Fox. He needed some answers and his CEO was the man that was going to provide them.


	4. Chapter 4

Fox was counting on a half day for Saturday so when Bruce’s message popped up he nearly groaned.  _Wayne: ‘Meet you in Applied Science at 2 it is important.’_

Lucius looked at his watched and realized it was already after one.  _Where had the morning gone?_  He looked at his uneaten sandwich and turned up his nose. He considered things for a moment then texted back, ‘ _My office... bring food’_

Bruce showed up forty minutes later with a bag from Charlie’s. It was a burger place down the street known for the best onion rings in the financial district. Lucius’s stomach grumbled in anticipation. He tossed the plastic wrapped sandwich into the garbage before accepting the sack of food, “Bruce you are a life saver.”

Lucius looked far too casually dressed to be the CEO for Wayne Enterprises, but he knew that he would be the only one in the office so he had not hesitated to come in to ink contracts wearing tan cargo pants and a MIT long-sleeve polo. The owner of Wayne Enterprises looked no more formal himself in a pair of dark jeans and leather jacket.

Bruce had ridden his motorcycle into the city, making the most of a clear day while also trying to calm his nerves, but all he had succeeded in doing was making himself think more about, Selina.  _Selina who loves motorcycles...loves Fox and loves me...Selina Kyle who is also a stubborn, sneaky, little witch that is now refusing to answer my calls._

Lucius wolfed down a few mouthfuls of the burger before collecting himself enough to ask Bruce what the urgent business was that required his weekend attention. “If it is your rebranding campaign Bruce, I assure you the people at Donovan are going to make that campaign work or die trying. I gave them a few other side projects I could think of, updating the logos on some of our subsidiaries and the like. The team agreed the main WE logo should remain unchanged, they believe its familiarity and history adds to the feel of stability for the company and stability is something Gotham is in short supply of these days.”

He looked up at Bruce seemingly amused, “The PR department did feel like  _you_ , however,  _could_  use some rebranding.” He smiled as he chewed, “They suggested a media campaign aimed at keeping the Wayne name trending positive in the wake of so many large investments. We don’t want the population to turn rabid thinking you used this fiasco to take financial advantage of Gotham.” Fox took another satisfying bite and continued to explain, “They recommend full disclosure of earnings and investments with the how’s and whys behind the acquisitions. Focusing on the humanitarian factor of salvaging jobs and the retention of industry for the city.” He swallowed and took a sip of tea, “In other words, Mr. Wayne, I have an entire PR department tuning up like a brass band ready and waiting to toot your horn.”

Bruce shrugged it off, “Whatever they think. Let them roll with it. It will keep them busy until we can generate something more substantial for them to do.” He leaned forward in his seat, “Lucius, marketing and public relations are not why I wanted to see you.”

Fox nodded, “I didn’t think they were, Mr. Wayne. What is it this time?’“

“Selina.” Bruce stated shortly.

Fox took another bite and looked back to his employer, “What about her?”

Bruce was not about to dance around this thing with Fox, “I want you to tell me where she is.”

Fox wiped his lips with a paper napkin and drank down another sip of his beverage, “Stalking people is more your hobby than mine, Mr. Wayne. Why don’t  _you,_  tell  _me,_ where she is?”

Bruce gave him a rueful smile, “I would love to do just that, but I can’t. It seems my sly fiancée discovered the tracker in her pearls. Now, I need you to figure out another way to pin down her location.”

Lucius looked at him like he had grown a third eye, “If you want to know where your fiancée is, Mr. Wayne, might I suggest you pick up the phone, call her and simply ask...politely.”

Bruce stared at him and worked hard to ensure his voice was calm, “My fiancée is no longer willing to take my calls, Mr. Fox. If you believe that type of direct approach has possibilities, you are welcome to give it a try. “

Fox swirled his cup and took another sip of tea before plucking his cell off the cluttered desk, A few seconds later Selina’s voice sounded over his Bose docking station. She picked up on the first ring, “Lucius my man, I was  _just_  thinking of you.”

Fox smiled apologetically at Bruce who seemed putout completely when she took his call. Rather than expressing his discontent he remained determinedly silent, “I just imagine you were my dear. Were you thinking that you should call and warn me that your betrothed would be knocking down my door this afternoon?”

Selina chuckled under her breath, “I suppose he is there sitting in front of you right now brooding as he eavesdrops.”

Fox was sitting with his fingertip pressing at his temple, elbow braced on his desk looking the epitome of cool as he assisted the two star-crossed lovers through their latest battle of wills, “That he is, Selina. Would you care to speak with him?”

“No,” she replied flatly. In the distance there was the faint sound of a siren, it was the distinctive wail of a European emergency vehicle. Bruce could hear traffic in the background, and he was suddenly more certain than ever she was in Gotham. Selina paused for a moment and there was a rustle and a mumbled apology in Italian. “Hey, you still there Fox?”

“Yes dear, is there a problem?” Fox inquired as he watched Bruce tense in the chair in front of him.

“Nothing that throttling your boss wouldn’t remedy. Really Fox, do something with him. Would you please?”

Lucius watched Bruce as the younger man leaned forward listening intently to the conversation, “Selina I have enough on my plate with your fiancé  _professionally_  as he endeavors to purchase all of Gotham; keeping him in line  _personally_  is what  _you_  signed on for.”

“I don’t remember reading that in the fine print,” Selina laughed again, “Hey Fox I’m about to los—”

The connection terminated and Fox looked over at Bruce and shrugged, “What is your concern again, Mr. Wayne? She is in good spirits and is simply out and about in Florence.”

Bruce looked unimpressed and undeterred, “Mr. Fox I’m going to need you to dig in a little deeper. Because that,” he gestured into the air indicating all they had just heard, “I’m not buying any of it. “

Fox refused to budge without his meal so Bruce ended up holding the drink and bag of greasy onion rings while Fox continued to eat his burger on the elevator ride down to Applied Sciences.

The food had made him more agreeable and he went willingly if only to humor Wayne. When they arrived, Lucius went about pulling up Selina’s satellite phone and recalled all of the hits and transmissions on her number. Fox tapped on the keypad and then spun the monitor to face Bruce, “There you see. Everything shows an initialization from Florence, Italy.”

Bruce looked at the screen wary of the data that did not corroborate what his gut was telling him. “Check it again, Lucius. I need you to be sure.”

Fox rolled his eyes and was about to repeat the data trapping process when he noticed the anomaly. He slipped on his glasses and pulled up the details on the transmissions. He tapped his finger on the long string of computer code on the screen. “Mr. Wayne. It appears that we have been had.”

Bruce stood, planting his hands on the desk in near triumph, “Tell me how. “

“It appears that all of Ms. Kyle’s phone calls  _are_  sourcing out of Italy, but they are generating off of only one cell tower. Now even with the GPS inaccuracies it would be reasonable to assume that she would be moving about the city.” He tapped the line of code again, “So her cell signal should ping off the service tower nearest her location.”

Bruce nodded, “But it isn’t, everything is coming in and going out under this single service tower.”

He nodded and looked up at Bruce, “I would say based on this information that she has rigged a daisy chain. It is relaying her calls and messages to this individual beacon and then out to her actual location…wherever that might be. Based on this Bruce...I would find it highly unlikely that Ms. Kyle would have gone through all of this effort only to remain in Italy.”

“How long?” Bruce demanded.

He pulled up the information, tracking back the relays, “You aren’t going to like this, Bruce.”

“How long?” He demanded the information from Fox.

“The singular relays from this tower started two weeks after you got back to Gotham.”

Bruce was stunned.  _Two weeks…two fucking weeks_. He shut his eyes and balled his fists pressing them hard against the desk top, “Damn her.”

Fox shook his head, “I wonder what the hell she has been up to all this time?”

Bruce knew then exactly where she had been and what she had been doing. _She was working her own leads in the Bowery. Selina had been feeding information to me without my even realizing it. She made it sound like innocent suggestions that Gordon 'might' want to check things out, that Blake and I should 'maybe' take a look at various places. Everywhere she had suggested had panned out...because she had been right there in the middle of it all leaving breadcrumb trails for us to follow._

He froze as his mind finally processed what it all meant.  _She was in town for weeks lying low and working the street. She didn’t likely start in the Bowery she would have trailed leads there. For her to suggest to me, even in passing, that Blake and I should start working the very area she was frequenting and for her to flat-out say Gordon needed men on the ground there was Selina indicating that she had found something big and she needed backup._

_What the hell have you gotten into little girl…and who knew that you’re back in Gotham..._

His thoughts ran immediately to Gordon. The commissioner had been pulling intel out of the Bowery since even before Officer Kerr was assigned the dangerous task of infiltrating the underworld network. Bruce had assumed that information was coming from the other undercover officers now he wasn’t so sure that was the case.

X

Jim Gordon opened the door as he slipped his service weapon, a Glock 40cal, back into its waist holster. He looked taken aback by the man at his front stoop. “Mr. Wayne. This is a surprise to say the least.” He opened the door wider, “Meghan and I were just sitting down to eat. Join us.”

Bruce looked contrite as he entered the house, “I hope you don’t mind an uninvited guest.”

Gordon laughed as he gestured around his house full of scattered toys and strewn about clothes, “I should ask if  _you_  mind.” He ushered Bruce inside and braced for the impact as Meghan rounded the corner and saw her honorary uncle.

Bruce Wayne was there on business, but he did not hesitate to provide his undivided attention to little Meghan. He wrapped her in a warm hug and accepted the smother of kisses and relentless string of questions. It was when she started asking about Selina that Bruce finally faltered.

Gordon intercepted his daughter and Bruce followed him into the kitchen where he sat her down with her meal of baked fish and vegetables before making a plate for himself and their guest. Bruce spent the next half an hour dining with the Gordon’s and determining that neither had a clue about Selina’s possible return to Gotham. He left with the promise from Gordon that he would look deeper into the source that was bringing in the weapons information out of the Bowery.

Thirty-seven minutes later Bruce was walking through the apartment Fox had arranged for Selina Kyle. The stale air and lifeless feel as he opened the front door made him realize immediately that there was no chance that she had been here. Still, he went through the motions. Walking from room to room, he searched for signs of her and found none.

It was a process he repeated at the safe house. He felt her memory there, but nothing fresh that would make him believe that she had been there recently. His frustration was palpable as he sat on the bed they had shared and tried her cell phone again. It rang through to her voice mail. He left a message this time, “Selina I need you to call me. Text me and let me know you are all right. I need to talk to you.”

He narrowed his eyes as he ended the call. He had one more spot to try.

x

Bruce walked up the rear entry of Wayne Manor. He had parked his bike just off the road and taken a path across the overgrown field up to the house on foot. There was a security perimeter set up around the residence, which he bypassed easily. He slipped through an unlocked window on the lower level and paused for a moment taking in the strange smells and new feeling of the house.

The heavy chemical odor of paint and stain from the newly treated baseboards and moldings hung in the air as he maneuvered through the empty house. He surveyed the open rooms as he went, noting the enormous accent rugs that lay bundled ready to be stretched across freshly scraped wood floors and furniture still tarped awaiting final placement.

Bruce followed the familiar halls trying not to feel guilty that he hadn’t waited for the unveiling before seeing the finished product. He pushed past that emotion as he imagined Selina walking these very halls for weeks, watching it fill with the furnishings Sigmund shipped from Italy. He felt his stomach roll as he realized he didn’t know how he was going to react when and if he found her. Angry, relieved, happy, betrayed the emotions were in a rolling boil inside him. It was so mixed that he himself didn’t know what was going to surface when he saw her face. So far betrayed and angry were the lead ponies in the race.

He reached the second floor mezzanine and passed by a tangle of rope and an opened crate marked Murano. Bruce recalled Murano as a small Venetian island known for their exotic handblown crystal. His eyes were drawn immediately to the frescoed ceilings and the new chandelier suspended above.

In the moonlight Bruce could see the gleaming crystals that tiered down in an exquisite tri-level teardrop design. He took a moment to lookout over the ballroom; even in the dark, it was awe-inspiring. The walls that bordered the enormous room were still the original grey marble, but were now accented with blood burgundy fabrics that framed the massive windows and lined passage ways into the rest of the mansion. Crystal wall sconces, formal resting chairs, antique benches and long silver drink tables peppered the perimeter.

Bruce stood for a long while looking at the gleaming marble floor as he imagined Selina pressed against his chest as he guided her in a waltz across the dance floor.  _The room will look stunning when the Italian crystal fixture is fired to life, of that I am certain. Before this room had been stark and lifeless, filled with modern artistic sculptures picked by some random interior designer. I hadn’t liked the first one that was unwrapped so I told Alfred not to bother unveiling the rest. They had remained shrouded for years like forgotten mummies before Alfred finally disposed of them to a collector._

Bruce felt his chest squeeze as he imagined Selina and Alfred working together to create this elegant masterpiece.  _It is nothing short of miraculous how they were able to breathe life into this hull of a house with just this one room. I can only imagine when I see the rest of it...How had Selina come along and changed my life like she did...how is it that she holds my heart in her hand like she does_...

Bruce felt the relief horse kick itself into gear. He knew that as angry as he was at her deception, he would feel relief at finding her.  _I don’t think she understands how much I need her...how responsible she is for my happiness now. Since Selina entered my life the difference in me is as vast as the before and after of this room... At its basic level I am the same, but with what she adds...I become someone totally different, unrecognizable...enhanced...alive. So yes, it will be desperate relief that I feel when I find the little witch that brought myself and the Manor back to life._

“I will feel even more relief when I ship her ass off to a gulag in Siberia for safe keeping,” Bruce muttered the empty threat as he walked up the stairs to the third level and nearly turned left to his old bedroom. He halted and looked right toward his parents’ master suite.  _Alfred would expect me to stay there now. To Alfred my taking a bride would mean my acceptance of my place as the Master of the Manor. He would force it on me using Selina as his weapon of choice. How could I deny Selina her rightful place in this house? I already feel duty bound to honor her as my wife with nothing less than the finest trapping Wayne Manor could offer..._

Bruce felt uneasy as he looked toward the master’s chambers.  _Regardless of the circumstances_   _I will still feel my parents’ presence in that room..._ He stood frozen in the hall for a long while. Finally, Bruce garnered the nerve to face the painful memory. He walked to the door and found it locked before noticing a small note card stuck in the jamb of the door. ‘ _Complete do not enter_.’

Bruce studied the message and then slowly backed away.  _She’s not in there and I am not facing that room without her beside me; even with her, I’m not sure I will be able to spend my nights there.._.  _She will forgive me... Selina will understand..._ He continued to retreat slowly as if something might leap out at him should he let down his guard. He finally turned and walked the length of the long hall toward his old room. Bruce paused as he rounded the corner and entered the remote wing, noticing immediately the alteration to the floor plan.

He walked through the open gallery past dozens of shrouded paintings, his eyes drawn to where there had once been a door leading into a drawing room. It was no longer there, nor was the door to his old bedroom. Now there was a heavy double door centered on the wall, recessed into the brick and braced above and on the sides by pillared stone supports.

The heavy wood door was detailed with twisted iron and looked strong enough to repel a battering ram. He tried the handle and the door opened obediently, swinging easily on the heavy iron hinges despite its massive size. Moonlight streaming through the East wall of windows illuminated the room enough for Bruce to realize, even with just a precursory scan, what had been done; they had created a new master suite.

He walked through the bedroom, forgetting for a moment the true nature of his business, focused instead on the work the contractors had exerted to absorb the additional area of the drawing room. They had utilized the space to create a huge his and hers walk-in closet. Attached to it was a boudoir, presumably so the mistress would have her own private retreat. It was very formal...very traditional and sexy as hell.

He walked past the custom clothing already hanging in the main closet into the boudoir, taking immediate notice of the extensive lingerie collection tantalizingly suspended from satin covered hangers. The floor length mirrors and makeup vanity almost escaped his notice as his eyes gravitated to the dressing chair which was obviously the centerpiece of the room.

It was a long neoclassic chaise lounge with ornate gold leaf trim covered in cream-colored crushed velvet. Bruce ran his fingertips over the high flared triangle corner and realized this chair would  _not_  be used for dressing, it would be for undressing.  _Undressing my wife..._

The lust horse had finally strolled out of the gates and trotted unhurried up the track. Ironically, all other emotions seemed to have lost their will to compete...  _Jesus, the thought of having her in this room just became my new favorite thing. So maybe I will take her on that chair half a dozen times before shipping her off to Siberia..._ He shut his eyes and pictured doing just that.  _Selina on her knees...holding the back of that chair surrounded by the endless walls of mirrors_. He lost himself in that scene for a long moment.

Bruce forced himself out of his fantasy and back into reality. He walked back into the bedroom and let his eyes take a more detailed sweep over the area and the realization hit him.  _The ridiculously expensive suite we shared in Monte Carlo...this was the duvet off that bed...that or it was a damn close reproduction. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if she just waltzed in there and stole it right off that very bed herself. However she came by it, the physical reminder of that night was now stretched across this bed...our bed._

“Selina Kyle... That night really has been on your mind.” Bruce let out a breath as he looked at the Asian-inspired design, a dreamlike outline of a Geisha surrounded with swirling koi, hand-embroidered over a rich olive-green Japanese silk.

He ran his hands down the familiar wood frame of the bed, it was a Carlo Bugatti. The small nick on the side revealed that it was not a reproduction; Alfred had gotten back the original. Both Alfred and Bruce had admired the furnishings of this particular designer. It had a classic masculine feel likely stemming from the use of metals in the design. The heavy copper inlays along with the intricate wood carvings had made it perfect for him as a bachelor. Now, softened by the exotic and sexy fabric, the bed fit them both...perfectly.

He sat down on the mattress fearing that his mind would run to the memories of lonely nights wallowing in guilt over Rachel, but instead it filled with the image of Selina...of the future... Images of her resting beside him. He could feel Selina as he pulled down the duvet and lowered his face to the pillow. Suddenly he didn’t know if it was just his imagination or if he really did just catch the light scent of her on the sheets. As the smell of her filled his nose Bruce had to force himself not to get lost in the memories of their nights together shared under this very cover.

_Fuck I am obviously crazy...it won’t surprise me if I am dreaming this all right now... the Manor...Selina...all of it. I will wake up soaked in sweat, alone and hard as hell back at the penthouse and this will have all been a dream. If it is I swear to God I am going to call her...and like the weak fucking excuse for a man I have become, I am going to beg her to come to Gotham...beg her to get on the first thing smoking out of Italy because I have fucking had enough of this too...enough of the nights missing her...enough of taking hollow relief from my hand with only the memories of her to sustain me...enough missing her laugh and the way only she has of making me feel at ease in my skin...enough of all of this..._

He felt her presence everywhere in this room. ‘ _Don’t be surprised when I show up naked in your bed…’ Those were her very words to me. She had been confessing to me exactly where she was... laying right here in this bed touching herself as she tortured me over the phone..._ “Mauvaise fille,” Bruce growled low in his throat as he stood and smoothed back the bed cover.

Questioning whether he was imagining things and not trusting that he wasn’t, Bruce stalked into the bathroom searching for a definitive sign that Selina had actually been there.

The bathroom had also been remodeled. The builders had utilized the old closet area and virtually doubled the size of the master bath. He looked at the spilt vanities and noticed all of his shaving and personal items expertly reproduced. This felt more like Alfred than Selina. It was second nature for his butler to ensure that all of his residences and even the jet were stocked with his personal items of choice be it soaps or colognes. Selina’s counter looked the much the same, some items he recognized others Alfred may have taken liberties and anticipated her preferences.

He walked into the enormous bath area noting the layer of dusty grout that covered the bottom of the sunken tub and continued on to the shower. Again, all of their items were reproduced, held in a caddie built into the wall. He stood in the natural rocked shower and inhaled deeply, searching the air for the scent of her shampoo and for a moment he believed that he indeed smelled citrus in the air. He reached for the bottle and held it up to the moonlight trying to determine if the level was full.  _If she had used it, she hadn’t used much._

He knelt and ran his hands over the bottom of the shower; his fingers came away without any residue of caulking or grit from mortar between the smooth rocks. He looked more closely at the floor, crouching lower to study the entrance of the shower. Focusing hard he could just make out the small circles of toe prints on the rough rock floor.

“Got you. Sneaky little witch.”

He stood, quickly scanning the room for any other signs. He walked to her counter again and searched the contents with renewed intensity. His eyes fell on a small travel-sized deodorant. He tilted his head.  _Everything here was purposefully selected and purchased for her, why would Alfred have bought a travel size in anything?_  He picked it up and he knew before he opened it that it would be used. He uncapped the lid and stared down at the top. It was missing the protective cover and the product was noticeably worn.

Bruce held in his hand the first tangible evidence of her presence in Gotham and he didn’t know whether to feel victorious or defeated.

 _Selina Kyle is here...in Gotham. My Selina is prowling the streets of the Bowery where some crazed bastard is butchering women._  Bruce slipped his phone out of his pocket as the vibration indicated an incoming call. He hoped against hope that it would be her.

_Incoming call: Gordon_

Bruce picked up, his jaw ached from how hard he had been grinding his teeth. He spoke in the voice of the Batman, “What have you got Commissioner?”

Gordon spoke quickly. “You were right. She is here. Gerard Stephens, one of my detectives in the MCU has been in contact with her. She spoke with him about an hour ago, said she had a line on our killer. She told him the police officers weren’t the first. He has been working through prostitutes on the west side dumping their bodies in the sewers. She ID’d him. Black male, early thirties, built like a damn defensive guard. She estimated him at six foot five, something like two hundred and fifty pounds.”

Bruce felt the adrenalin surge through him as he strode through the bedroom toward the study. Gordon’s voice was muffled, “No take Lamar to 8th.” Then it came through clearly again, “She said the guy has some kind of skin condition, wears a trench coat to cover it. Stephens ran the description through NCIC and got a hit out of Louisiana. A BOLO on a pimp named, Waylon Jones.”

Sounds of tires screeching and then the echoing sound of a phone dropping and muffled curse, then Gordon’s voice again clear, “I just got off the phone with a lieutenant in their vice squad, he said the MO on our murders fits this guy. His file there is thick as a phone book. Assault, prostitution, aggravated robbery and he is wanted in questioning for the sexual assault and murder of four women there before he skipped town.” Gordon finally paused, “They said their killer was a biter too. The guys in homicide were calling him, Killer Croc.”

x

xx

xxx

_Mauvaise fille,- French for Bad Girl...Bruce had called Selina this in a previous story when she pulled a fast one on him and made him believe that she couldn’t understand/ speak French._

_The details on Bruce’s bed I owe to Landscaper01- She wrote a great story that included the info so I added that in as a little authentic flavor from the movie_

_I also don’t remember if I gave credit to KLCthebookworm for suggesting that WE absorb up Daggett concrete - that is the foundation for Ginger Fox construction. Thanks for the great suggestion!_

 

_Edits by CHEED_


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce was at a dead run by the time Gordon told him her last known location. He flew into the library praying that the entrance to the cave was as it should be, imagining quickly the alternative of a race across the property to the external access.  _I will have to take out the security guards and rip the cap off the well. I won’t have any way of sealing it behind me... I’ll have to risk them investigating and finding the cave... I don’t have time for anything else._

He nearly swore in relief when he saw the familiar shape of a piano covered by a furniture tarp. Bruce hurdled over a stack of rolled rugs and dodged past several broken down wooden crates. He reached his target and whipped aside the dusty cover, hastily keying the familiar broken notes. The bookshelf slid open and he rushed inside pressing the phone back to his ear, “Jim… I am twenty-five minutes out minimum. The kid is no closer...”

Gordon’s voice was tense when he answered and Bruce knew that they were both thinking the same thing, “I’ll get to her. I swear it.”

xxx

The phone nearly slipped from his grip again as Stephens took Park Row on two wheels and Gordon was pressed against the door of the unmarked unit. The detective gave his boss a sheepish look, “Sorry.”

Gordon shook it off, “Don’t be. Haul ass, we can’t afford to be late to the party.”

Stephens nodded as he gave another quick side-glance at Gordon understanding fully what the man beside him was going through. He himself had not been on the response team that night, but he knew the guilt the commissioner carried over not making it in time to save Rachel Dawes.

Gordon focused on the street ahead of them gesturing to the sidewalk. Stephens bumped up the curb and straddled it, riding it that way to the intersection blowing the horn along with the sirens. He got control over the car and pulled it abruptly down a side street. Gordon was about to protest before he remembered this was Stephens old beat before he was promoted into detectives and eventually into the Major Crimes Unit.

Stephens cranked the wheel and slid the battered Chevy onto the main road. His maneuver had saved them five minutes at least, but evening traffic was heavy and Gordon cursed as he saw the red tail lights on the bridge realizing that no matter what they did they would be slowed by the conditions there. Stephens looked again over at the Commissioner, “Jim, she said that she could handle it.”

Gordon’s eyes flashed over at the man. It was an awkward situation with Gerard knowing Selina Kyle’s identity and relationship to himself and Meghan. It was almost a given that Stephens then knew the identity of the Batman, or would when Selina’s relationship with Wayne hit the gossip rags. Even so Gordon had made sure not to use any names in the earlier phone conversation just to ensure that he in no way would be to responsible for revealing Bruce’s identity.

It was impossible to believe that Gerard wouldn’t piece it together, but Gordon consoled himself that the long time officer was worthy of the trust he had placed in him. Gerard’s lapse against the Joker had been understandable as far as the commissioner was concerned. You had to only see what the Joker had done to Batman that night in the interrogation room to understand that the lunatic could have driven any man to an act of brutality, even a veteran officer like Stephens.

Gerard felt the commissioner’s eyes on him and he glanced over and offered his support again, “She is a tough one, Jim.”

Gordon wiped his hand across his brow collecting the beading sweat from his hairline. “From what you described this guy is the size of the Rogues’s starting linebacker.”

Stephens knew he wasn’t wrong, but tried to lighten the mood, “You know what they say Commissioner, the bigger they are the harder they fall.”

Gordon’s face was grim as he focused on the traffic, “Sometimes the bigger they are the harder they kick your ass.” Jim Gordon pulled out his Glock and did a weapons check.

Stephens pushed harder on the accelerator, suddenly more concerned for the woman that had put her trust in him to have her back in the Bowery.  _I was shocked to say the least when I ended my shift six weeks ago and was approached in the parking garage of the GCPD, by none other than Selina Kyle herself. I nearly jumped out of my skin when her voice sounded behind me._

_“Good evening Jerry.”_

_I wheeled around expecting her to be standing right behind me. Instead she was above me, sitting relaxed on the concrete beam that lined the garage. Her leg dangled as she leaned casually on a pillar. I collapsed back against my unmarked unit, my heart hammering in my chest as I regretted every hot dog and plate of nachos I had ever eaten. I spent several breathless moments contemplating my life while awaiting the massive coronary that I anticipated would take me out._

_She just smiled and waited for me to compose myself, her head tilted as her long brown hair fell over her shoulder. She was wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans and she was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I have ever shared space with. My heart showed no sign of calming so I just stuttered out some gibbered question about why she was there._

_She twisted and dropped her other leg so that she was facing me kicking her feet easily as she talked. Before she finished, I had committed to keep her return to Gotham confidential and in exchange she said she would relay information on the Joker. It struck me then that she had ultimate confidence that she would find something. It was not an if, but a when that she believed she would obtain information on him. She made it clear she would work the sources and that all I needed do would be act on the info and keep quiet on where it came from._

_I agreed and as she slid off the beam and landed lightly on the stiletto heeled boots she wore she gave me a wink and started to walk away. I stopped her. “You had asked before how I got this.” I lifted my chin exposing the scar across my throat. She turned back to me and her eyes slid over the old wound and then back up to my face, “It was the Joker.” I watched for her reaction, waited for her to understand the warning I was giving her. She didn’t look affected so I tried again, “He’s a lunatic, and he is dangerous. Be careful.”_

_She walked up to me and I thought for a crazy moment that she might kiss me and I froze. Jeez Louise, the way this woman moved it had me looking for loopholes in my marriage vows and wishing I was thirty-five again. She grabbed the lapels of my suit jacket and leaned in close, her lips grazing against my ear and I was helpless not to smell her hair. Orange blossoms...my god..._

_“If you play nice Jerry and keep all of this business just between the two of us...maybe I will save some of the clown just for you.” She drew back and gave me a sly smile that said she knew exactly how much getting a piece of that bastard for myself would mean and then she did kiss me, a light brush of her lips on the corner of my mouth. “Don’t kiss and tell Jerry.”_

_We both kept our ends of the deal. I kept quiet and Selina Kyle kept the information flowing. Things started getting more strained as she followed leads and began working connections in the Bowery. She went from once a week updates to three times a week. She even caught me in person one day on my way to work. I stopped for coffee and a bagel at Einstein’s every weekday morning, and she had been waiting. I was only slightly relieved that she was not sitting at the counter wearing her hooker garb. She often was when I saw her, not that I minded the short skirts and tight tops. Mrs. Stephens had been seeing a lot more action in the bedroom thanks to those outfits._

_When I walked in I noticed her right away, beautiful but a little ragged looking in jeans and a black sleeveless Aerosmith t-shirt. She ordered another cup of tea as she slid off the barstool and walked to the back of the small coffee shop._

_The waitress nodded at me that she had my usual and watched with a little too much interest as I followed the mystery woman to a back booth. She slid in facing the door, her long brown hair was hidden now beneath a short black wig and her face was hidden beneath heavy Goth makeup and yet she was still stunningly beautiful. Exhausted and stressed out, but dammit...my god what a looker._

_We sat silently waiting until the young woman brought over my coffee and bagel. She placed a cup of tea in front of Selina along with a blueberry muffin. Selina smiled and the waitress seemed pleased, “I saw you eyeballing them.”_

_Selina flashed her bright teeth and for a moment I felt another heart attack imminent. I didn’t even care that I was being totally obvious. Wow…just wow. She was gracious too when she spoke to the waitress.”Thanks for putting me out of my misery. I can’t remember the last time I had one of these.” She looked up at me as the waitress retreated and I wondered when was the last time she had eaten at all, or slept for that matter. The question must have been on my face._

_She shrugged, “It’s been…balls to the wall down in the Bowery.”_

_I waited while she pinched off a piece of the muffin and took a bite. She met my eyes again and I could see the fatigue and worry. “Weapons are moving tonight. Small arms mostly. Possibly some C4. No word yet on the buyer. There are a lot of new players in town.” She took a sip of the tea. Her eyes went to the door when the bell jingled and she slipped down in the seat, using my body to shield her from prying eyes._

_I straightened up and put my elbows on the table trying to make myself as wide a wall as possible to block her off, as I did I pressed her for information. “Where are these new players coming from?”_

_Selina shook her head that she didn’t know. “There are several guys down there now that I hadn’t ever heard of before and believe me, they have some pop in their bats. Even connected pricks like Dino Maroni are getting out of their way. Hell the Gazzo family just rolled over their weapons business entirely.” She shook her head and pinched off another bite of the muffin. “That was where my real connections were too, dammit.”_

_I could tell she was frustrated and it had me hoping she wasn’t giving up, “Do you have any other leads?”_

_Selina looked up distracted, “Yeah. It will just take me some time to get worked in there.”_

_I rolled my coffee cup in my hands studying her mannerisms, there was more. “What is it then? Something else going on?”_

_Her brows drew together and she looked like she was considering whether or not to tell me something. She finally decided, “Women are disappearing in the Bowery. Word on the street is someone is murdering prostitutes.”_

_“How reliable are your sources?”_

_Selina smirked, “It wasn’t from any particular source, it is just the whisper in the wind. A public service announcement between working girls. They are scared.” She gave me a look, “And in case you didn’t know it, there isn’t much that scares the kind of women that are willing to work in the Bowery.”_

_The next time I saw her, the department had lost an officer._

_She walked up to my car at the intersection of Midwestern and 45th right outside police plaza and rapped on the passenger window. I popped the lock and she opened the door and dropped in the seat beside me. “I heard.” She said before I could speak._

_I pulled off with the green light and drove us into a parking garage to the Whitmore Hotel, pulled into a slot and put the vehicle in park. She sat there for a long moment before she handed me a folder. It had hand drawn maps of the Bowery. There was a legend that detailed out the bars, businesses with attached operators, I studied it and then her. “This looks like your resignation.”_

_Selina’s jaw worked, “I am reassigning myself.”_

_I was relieved honestly so I just nodded, “I don’t blame you. It’s too dangerous down there. Even for you…It’s getting out of control.”_

_Selina shook her head, “You misunderstand. I’m leaving the weapons to you. Get this to Gordon and have him pass it on to his bestie Batman. She looked at the floorboard, “Word is the guy that got your cop is the one that has been thinning out the Bowery’s hooker population. I have some leads I want to look into. I am going after whomever or whatever is responsible for these women disappearing.”_

_I didn’t know what to say. It was bad enough we had a dead cop on our hands, but knowing that he could be responsible for more victims was unsettling. “We don’t have any other related crimes on the blotter. Nothing at all with this same MO.”_

_I worked through it as I talked, “If there are more vics then they haven’t been discovered yet. Why would he dump Bethany in public? Most killers don’t change their habits, especially when they are working for them. If he has a dumping ground that hasn’t been uncovered, why go outside that and drop a cop behind the patrol house where she is guaranteed to put him on the radar?”_

_Selina stared out the bug spattered window, “Maybe the cop was business and the working girls are pleasure? Maybe he had a point to make…dumping the officer like he did?”_

_I tightened my hands on the wheel of the car, “How many others?”_

_Selina shrugged, “Eight maybe. Hard to say.”_

_I looked at her in disbelief, “Eight? Are you fucking kidding me? Eight women have disappeared and there isn’t one report on file? No way.” She just looked at me and rolled her eyes._

_“Who is going to report them missing exactly? Their pimps? Their customers?” She slid her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket, “Hell the women working right beside them night after night don’t care if they are gone or not. It’s just less competition whenever they don’t show. Plus the street population is transient and unpredictable. It’s not like they are punching a time clock on the corner of Harry Hines Boulevard. When a hooker doesn’t show for a few weeks everyone figures she has pulled up stakes and started working in a new stable.”_

_I was about to ask her what made her think anything different with these other women, but I caught the look on her face. This wasn’t a woman that went tilting at windmills for shits and giggles. If she thought something was going on and was willing to back burner hunting the Joker to look into it, you had better believe there was substance in what she was saying._

_I strangled the wheel of the caprice again, unsure of how to react to all of this, “If you have names or aliases on the women I can look into them, contact their families. See if anyone has heard from them, make sure they just didn’t go home.”_

_She shook her head decisively, “No way.”_

_That answer hadn’t worked for me, at all. “These are women; human beings. They have families that deserve to know what happened to them. “_

_She must have realized that I was speaking emotionally over the death of a fellow officer. She just stared out the window and gave me a moment before she shook her head._

_“No, Bethany Kerr had people that cared about her. She had people that wanted to know what happened to her, these other women don’t have anyone. There isn’t anyone expecting them home, if they did you wouldn’t need me to tell you that they are missing. “_

_I listened to her and my stomach churned, she wasn’t wrong. She focused her eyes on her hands, “These girls were lost to their families a long time ago. A few more days dead in the Bowery won’t matter.”_

_I could not believe the cold callousness of her words, “You talk like their lives mean nothing.”_

_She shook her head, “Their lives meant nothing to the bastard that took it from them, but their deaths don’t have to be without purpose. If I can find his dumpsite and keep it undisturbed, he will return and I will be waiting for him. I can’t think of any better way to make these women’s deaths mean something than by using them to catch him...can you?”_

_I sat there sickened by the prospect of what she was telling me. Selina could read it all over me. “I wouldn’t have involved you in this part of it, Jerry...but if something were to happen…”_

_The realization hit me, “The only reason you are telling me any of this is because you need me to know what you are getting into.” The implication was there, she needed me to know that if I didn’t hear from her that she had become one of the missing. She was just as cut off from her family, just as disposable as the women that were being murdered. She needed me to blow the whistle if she disappeared, she needed someone to notice she was gone._

_Selina smiled grimly, “I don’t have a death wish Jerry if that’s what you are thinking. This is the only way. You cops can’t step foot in the Bowery without the word hitting the streets. Someone is on the take, telegraphing 5-0 business before you even make a move. I’m trusting you with this because you’re not wrong about those women Jerry. They deserve to have their fate known, even if there isn’t a soul left in this world that cares about them personally. No one deserves to be left to rot like forgotten garbage in some ally or abandoned lot in the Bowery. If they do have families, well then they deserve closure too. I intend to give that to them.”_

_I looked away from her, suddenly aware of the weight of the knowledge I carried. Keeping this from Gordon...keeping this from the Batman. Man, what was I thinking. I knew who the Catwoman was to him. Jesus Christ, I hate to think what would become of me if something did happen to her. I saw him lose it in the interrogation room that night with the Joker. Hell, he had been my inspiration. I swallowed hard, “You have family that deserves to know the truth of what’s going on with you too.”_

_Selina opened the door and stepped out, “In the unlikely event of my demise there is an address on the back page of that packet I gave you. Give it to Gordon and tell him everything. He will take things from there.” She knelt and looked at me, “I know what I’m getting into Stephens. I can handle it.”_

_I was suddenly struck by how alone she was out there and I again tried to impress upon her my concern, “This guy took down an armed police officer, don’t forget that.”_

_She just nodded, “You will hear from me every day from now on, if you don’t...”_

_I cleared my throat and looked away, “I know what to do.”_

_She nodded and as she moved to shut the door she leaned back down, “Thanks, for trusting me on this.”_

_I gave her a reaffirming nod, “Same to you.”_

_I should be more upset now about having betrayed her confidence to Gordon, because as I just heard the info went straight up the pipeline to the Batman. Everyone knew she was in the Bowery and we were all scrambling our asses down there, but shit what the hell else could we do? She had given me the description of the possible perp a few hours ago laughing as she did it. Warning me first about what unbelievable crap the intel was, but I insisted. She read off the description and we both laughed._

_How could either of us take the description seriously? It sounded like something right out of the comic book pages. Freaking huge guy with scale like skin. Give me a break. Hell, I even mocked the report by exaggerating the descriptors as I repeated it back to her, “I copy that as a seven foot reptile-man wearing a flasher jacket. I will send an APB out now on all frequencies.”_

_She laughed, but I could tell she was disappointed not to have given me something more substantial. I almost left to go home when I took a second and logged into Gordon’s secure server. It wasn’t complicated to guess his password. He was an electronics dinosaur, same as me and I got in on my second try._ Meghan#1 _…not exactly hacker-proof boss man. I entered the information and it bounced back immediately with a hit._

_When I saw the BOLO from Louisiana I nearly shit my shorts. The fucker was a monster. Six foot eight, three hundred five pounds, with unidentified skin pigmentation disorder. I sat there looking at his photo, reading the bio with my head in my hands when Gordon walked in and slammed the door. He stood there glaring with one hand on his hip and the other pushing his glasses up in that annoyed gesture of his. “You have something you need to tell me Detective?”_

_I had a lot to tell him and tell him I did. I should have felt guilty about spilling my guts, but what I felt instead was like I let a load off my chest. I knew Selina Kyle wasn’t a pushover but she didn’t have any idea that she would really be running up against in the likes of this loony bastard. Now as we were running hot, lights flashing and the sirens wailing out to the Bowery I felt for the first time like I finally had her back._

_Gordon and I were already headed her way in my unmarked while he chewed my ass raw over not telling him about her little operation. Fuck, but he was pissed. I shut him up by finally agreeing to take him to the address she provided. I had already researched it and found it was the Wayfarer hotel. A well known shag pad that could be rented by the hour, day or week. To some of Gotham’s criminal element it became home, an address used often on wrap sheets and arrest warrants._

_Selina seemed to be basing out of there. We strong armed the manager and entered without a warrant. Gordon turned the room looking for whatever it was that she had left for him with no luck. He ended up in the bathroom staring at the cracked mirror of the medicine cabinet. There was a small piece of tissue wedged in the corner of the glass. He pulled the tissue out and unrolled it. “Nothing,” he wadded it up and tossed it into the sink._

_I gave him a quizzical look, “I don’t suppose she was military?” I asked._

_Gordon shrugged, “It wouldn’t surprise me if she has worn a uniform at some point throughout her life.”_

_I smiled and cranked the hot water on the sink and repeated it with the shower. “Steam sign. It’s an old Army trick.” Gordon caught on to the act and shut the door. The tiny cramped space filled with steam and we stood there shoulder to shoulder watching as the bat signal appeared on the mirrored surface of the medicine cabinet. Under it was written ‘Look behind.’_

_Gordon ripped the medicine cabinet off the wall and behind it was a ragged hole. He reached in and pulled out a plastic bag filled with rolled paper. He threw open the door and I shut off the water. He went to the rickety card table and opened the bag. Inside were drawings of women. Penciled with such clarity and detail they looked ready to take life on the paper and tell their stories themselves. On the back side of each was a map of their territory with the marked location where they were last seen. The last sketch was the Bowery’s east side, a comprehensive map of all of the disappearances including the three that had connection to the police._

_She had a radius circled with sections marked off. Red X’s were over areas she had presumably checked. Gordon turned the page and we both just stared at it. Another portrait, not of a woman this time and certainly not of a man. It was an amalgamation of reptile and human morphed together and it was eerily similar to the man’s photo that I held up beside it. Gordon and I just looked at one another in silence. Her handwritten notes were to the side._

_‘Jerry, I know what you must be thinking as you are looking at this...I was thinking it myself it as I drew it- But this is the description from two people in the Bowery. Elisa was attacked five days ago- she is in Gotham general under the alias Melissa Stephens (haha) and a kid from south Elum, Delroy Martin (not kidding I lifted his wallet his name is really Delroy lmao). If you are reading this shit broke loose and you will need to hit up these people and get statements. Start your search in the area I identified on the map. I am nearly certain that he is dumping his kills in the storm drains under the city. Sorry I couldn’t be more help than this. Hopefully we will be lifting a beer together celebrating his arrest and I will be telling you this all in person, if not...well that’s the way shit goes sometimes. Tell Gordon not to let Bats get sideways with you over this. You did me a solid by keeping things quiet. I left a letter for Gordon. See that he gets it please._

_\- thanks for everything-_

_S’_

_That was when the call came over the all emergency._

xxx

When Blake got the call from Bruce he was already in the Bowery too, eight blocks from Selina’s last known position. He leapt from the crumpling top of the Hibernia bank building into the inky black of the Gotham night. The fabric of the cape whooped out into the dark wings that marked the only visual dissimilarity from his mentor’s iconic uniform. He felt the familiar twist of fear that always accompanied his jumps, only now there was a desperate need that had attached itself to his mission.

_I cannot fuck this up. Not this time._

_From the moment I handed over my ID and claimed the pack filled with climbing gear I had been learning from and about Bruce Wayne. Every day I delved deeper into who the Batman was and what it took to be a man like Bruce Wayne. What I had seen was a man that asked for nothing in repayment for his selfless deeds. The only thing he had ever wanted for himself was Selina Kyle. A woman I had believed to be a nuisance...a threat…a weakness…_

_I watched as Alfred, Fox and Gordon were taken in by her act, an obvious con from my experience and I was disappointed in them. I was more disappointed in Wayne; that he would allow himself to be exploited by the likes of her. She was a con artist, a thief and a criminal and she was the one weakness that Bruce Wayne seemed to have. I was disappointed to see a flaw in Wayne’s otherwise impenetrable armor. This feeling nothing but intensified as Selina antagonized, challenged and belittled me._

_Then the night against Scarecrow showed me another side of Selina Kyle. She fearlessly infiltrated the hive of Scarecrow’s thugs and fed us intel. She stayed beside me when the fight separated me from Bruce. The airborne inhalant had been deployed and the insanity of Crane’s drugs turned local thugs into drug fueled lunatics ripping and tearing each other apart. She dropped in beside me out of nowhere; I was piled under thrashing bodies and suddenly she was there, her face obscured by a mask to protect her from the dust that was exploding out of nearby canisters._

_She was no match for the rage filled mass of men that had covered over me. I knew that and evidently Selina had too. She  spun, twirled and flipped over, around and between the grasping hands in a beautiful, seemingly choreographed meld of gymnastics and martial arts._

_I fought off the remaining two men while the rest pursued Selina down the tight corridor. I scrambled to my feet and kicked one of the thrashing men into the other where they immediately began to fight. I resettled the damaged cowl over my face and started after her, I remember my blood curling at the animalistic sounds of grunting and fighting rage echoing through the corridor._

_I then saw her walking calmly toward me as the men behind her were tangled with one another in a mosh pit of writhing, hellish fury. She pulled the protective gas mask off her face and I saw her brilliant smile. She flipped her glasses up over her head and made some smart-ass comment about how she was a lover not a fighter. I had laughed out in relief and then I saw the man running behind her and I reacted._

_Selina saw it coming and dropped to her knees as my arm flew over her head. The sharp fins on the bracer breezed dangerously close, slicing through the unlucky stands of her hair that drifted up in the way. I caught the man in a closeline and slammed him to the ground. When I looked over my shoulder, Selina was looking back over hers and we both grinned like idiots. It had been different between us after that._

_I began to feel something for her myself. There was more to her, she was deeper than she first lead me to believe. So it wasn’t just for Bruce that I felt the pressure to find her now. It was because she mattered to everyone, myself included. She damn sure had my back before when I needed it._

_We stuck beside each other through the rest of the battling insanity that led us to the parking garage. She held off Crane’s flunkies while I hawked down the doctor. I had been so proud of myself, so excited over my success that it had never occurred to me to worry over her. I realized when Fox said she was still in the structure that she had probably gone in after me._

_We hadn’t ever spoken of it since, but our relationship was different...it felt like we had reached an understanding. She gave me a hard time and I learned to dish it back. She had my back and thanks to Alfred I was in the perfect position to return the favor._

_I had been floored earlier when Alfred told me Bruce believed Selina was back in Gotham. Alfred looked both proud and concerned as he told me about Selina’s deception. I had just finished my lesson with my martial arts instructor, Alfred guided me away from the shower and into the safe room. He had already activated the sled that held my suit. He opened it and vented the sanitizing agent from the chamber and was all but forcing me bodily into the confines of the uniform._

_“Best you check up on things and ensure the missus has not overextended herself, shall you?” He stood by with his hands folded over his chest, his face lined with worry as I dressed. I hadn’t been out without Bruce since his return, but I wasn’t about to refuse Alfred. Besides, if Selina Kyle was down in the Bowery she was liable to be hip deep in shit and actually need a hand, not that she would have ever asked me for help..._

_I took the cowl from Alfred’s hand and gave him a nod as I slipped it over my face and latched it tightly over the leather facemask. “Master Blake.” I paused as Alfred placed his hand on my arm, “Let the missus know that Master Bruce knows of her return.”_

_I raised a surprised eyebrow at that and Alfred returned the expression in kind. “Don’t make me call in my marker, Master Blake.” His warning was clear and I just shook my head understanding exactly what he was driving at, “Not necessary Alfred. I was just surprised you thought I wouldn’t let her know on my own. Selina is sticking her neck out without anyone having asked her to do it, and she has done it against Bruce’s express wishes. I figure the least I can do is heads her up that there is a pissed off billionaire on her tail. Hell, I might even run a little interference.”_

_When I heard the call from Fox and received the distress signal over the telecom in the Tumbler I knew she was in it neck deep. She had broadcast across all channels not only her presence in Gotham but her exact coordinates and request for assistance. Her cover was blown and with damn good reason I was sure. She wouldn’t have invited a Bruce Wayne ass kicking unless she was in epic need of his help. She all-channeled it so she didn’t give a damn who heard the call. It sent an auto distress with her position to the PD as well as all of us. Officers were on site less than a minute later and then came the call, “217 in progress.”_

x

xxx

Selina had her share of problems, the least of which right now was an angry lover with deep pockets. Selina Kyle had a bigger problem…much bigger. She had a very big freaking problem, an enormous problem in fact. A fucking, hulking, goddamn problem.

_Huge...It was one thing to hear a kid say a ‘dude was huge.’ It was another to see ‘said dude’ taking up the entire expanse of the waterway top to bottom side to side. He was stooping to fit and his damn shoulders were still brushing the top. Fuck me..._

Selina’s eyes tracked him as he moved above her.  _He didn’t move he plodded...trudged…no…lumbered. That was the right word. This huge bastard lumbered._  The fact she was under the very surface he was tromping upon simply added to the effect. It was metal grating over the sewage tunnels and the echoing effect of his boots off the surface was the creepiest thing Selina had ever experienced. The fact she was in a tunnel with dead women floating in it and this huge murdering son of a bitch had another woman hanging under his arm made it all the more surreal.

_This was every horror movie I had ever suffered through. The nosey girl who stumbled into the killer’s lair while the audience screamed for her to turn back and not go in. Just go get the cops. Get the hell out while the gettin’s good... Now I am the dumb broad that hadn’t listened._

She had been working the streets for days. Following useless leads from brainless, scared street walkers. It wasn’t like working girls were overly accommodating when a new woman walked into their territory anyways, but when they were scared they were even more difficult to deal with. She had actually taken a blade from one the day before. Luckily Fox’s kevlar bi-weave was all it was cracked up to be. Lucky too that the suit was also sexy as hell and doubled nicely for street wear or she would have been at the hospital for stitches. When she wasn’t questioning street-smart hooks and getting knifed in the side, Selina was dodging pimps looking to expand their stables and turning down horny customers waving sweaty wads of money while she scoured the streets looking for information.

Her only reprieve from the smarmy streets were the short moments stolen to touch base with Stephens and talk to Bruce. The last calls with each of the men hadn’t been what she wanted them to be. All she had for Stephens was a bunch of nonsense from a woman with an IQ under 65 involving exaggerated stories of a trench-coated, hulking, dreadlocked monster with skin issues. The only thing that lent credibility to her account was the bite mark on her forearm.

She said she had slipped through a chained fence and gotten away from her attacker, but her description left Selina doubting all of her tale. A slightly more reliable and definitely more intelligent source had confirmed some activity near the water treatment plant, a guy matching the same general description minus the lizard skin. He was just a kid, but he was quick and he had been around enough to not get shaken over the sight of a John taking a lay into the tunnels for a quickie.

Young Delroy had run his mouth to her pimp about the girl not coming back out and that was what had brought Selina around to talk.  _I had to run his fast ass down twice just to get him to tell me what he saw. Since when did I look like a cop? Once again it was a man in a long coat and fedora slipping into the tunneling system. The kid said he had a woman with him, a redhead. One of my missing fancy ladies was a red head, lost about the same time as the kid remembered seeing the man carrying a woman into the canal by the treatment plant. Carrying...the kid had left that out the first time. When I asked him again he said he thought she was probably passed out. Stephens and I both thought it was a crap lead._

Her last call hadn’t been what she wanted it to be with Bruce either.

_He was on to me. He had figured things out, smart bastard that he is. I had been careful to. Now that he suspected something he would be like a shark with blood in the water. He wouldn’t stop searching until he found the truth and then he wouldn’t stop until he found me._

_I will be walking through the Bowery, look up and see a shadow a little darker than the rest and he would appear under those damn devil horns of his, cape flowing, acting all holier than thou with his boy scouting, judgement rendering, self-righteous attitude. Bruce ‘the Batman’ Wayne._ She felt an uncontrollable tremble. _What I wouldn’t give to see that man right now...I would happily sit through his judgmental nagging. I would welcomingly face his disappointed anger at me being here because all of those scenes would play out after the monumental ass kicking the two of us would put on this murdering psycho..._

_But Bruce wasn’t here and he wouldn’t be here because I followed damn pimply-faced Delroy’s lead on my own and now I was stuck down here alone. All alone in this pit with a serial killing nutjob with a biting fetish. So it is up to me to stay alive so it wouldn’t be Bruce Wayne charged with recovering my chewed up remains from this deadpool._

Selina shook her head and focused on the reality of the situation she was in.  _If I don’t calm down and start thinking Stephens really will be bringing Bruce down here to collect my body. That is not something I am prepared to do to either him or myself. I’m not exactly ready to punch out...I have a lot to live for now..._

Selina shook herself mentally and took a deep, silent breath as she rolled her shoulders.  _I’m safe...just calm the hell down. I am hidden in the shadows he will never know I am here..._  Her face relaxed and she reined in her emotions concentrating fully on the situation, letting her mind plan the next move.

When she came down here she followed a trail of old blood revealed by the biofilter on her visor. She picked her way carefully, mindful of every detail ensuring that she disturbed nothing. She buttoned down her uniform and donned her gloves, readying herself for a fight. She had been prepared if she were to come face to face with him, she knew the dangers and she believed herself ready, until she saw him. She wasn’t too proud to admit that she had lost her nerve.

_This bastard was bigger than Bane...by a long shot._

The blonde hair from the woman he carried under his arm dragged on the grate that Selina crouched under. It caught and hung on the sharp ragged edges pulling the bleached hair out in clumps. The woman never moved, she was already dead. Selina picked her way along after him allowing her footfalls to match his lumbering strides, utilizing the echo to mask her own quiet steps.  _Yes, that was definitely the word...lumbering..._

She watched from under the grate and started the recording again. She started the video recording as soon as she found the bodies. She walked quietly around the women who were in various states of decay, pausing for long moments on each of their faces, panning the length of their bodies to ensure that their garments were recorded in hopes of ID’ing them should something unthinkable happen while she was down here.  _Worst case scenario I have all this on video now, including him with his newest kill. I will just have to get to street level to ensure the data uplink gets sent. I intended on bring this bastard down myself, but now…well fuck that. I saw what Bane did to Bruce when they went toe to toe. I’ll be damned if I’m taking this shady looking son of a bitch on down here, all by myself... No fucking way._

Now as she crouched low in the shadows below him she realized how screwed she really was.  _This isn’t some skinny-ass, Jeffrey Dahmer, white-boy, creep-mouse killer. This is a massive, knuckle-dragging monster. If anything he is bigger than my sources had estimated and that, friends, is a deal breaker. I’m not a heroine, I don’t even have a dog in this fight. I was just supposed to be poking around for information so I’m not engaging this fool to try and affect a citizen’s arrest. On the flip side of that, I’m also not an idiot bimbo from a B horror flick that panics and runs tripping and falling while the psycho runs her down with a chainsaw...so that leaves the middle ground... playing it cool._

She crouched lower in the stagnant water as she reassured herself on the prudence of her decision.  _Yup, I am going to lay up on this one. I’m just gonna film him, get a firm ID. I might even be a sport and track him out of here. I will get Stephens on the horn and watch from the cheap seats while Gotham’s finest sack up this big bastard._ She relaxed a fraction her nerves settling.

_That is exactly what I am going to do, so the movie audience can just relax and stop screaming at the screen. I hear you. I am listening. I am lying low and staying quiet and I am going to live to fight another day...and I am not gonna feel a damn bit guilty about it. I am going to leave here, find Bruce, let him yell himself hoarse at me for coming back to Gotham and then I will fuck him until he forgives me... I am going to live happily ever after in a big damn mansion too while I’m at it...and I will forget any of this ever even happened..._

Selina was absolutely fine with her decision until she heard the soft moan come from the woman he carried.

Selina’s breath caught and she felt her heart thud so hard that she thought her ears were going to explode from the pressure. _No...I didn’t hear that. It’s just the fear...the adrenalin that made me think that. No...please...please._ Her eyes widened as she watched the woman beginning to struggle. Selina froze, her mouth drying and her heart trip hammering so loud and hard against her breast that she feared he would hear it look down and it would be the end of her.

Selina heard his voice low and animalistic in the echoing chamber, he had an accent and it took her a moment to place.  _Creole...Cajun French…from the bayou... But, it is more than that, it was garbled like he was talking through a mouth of marbles._  The sound was almost alien as he hissed at the woman to shut her mouth. He dropped her onto the metal grating and gave her a solid kick to her stomach. Selina flinched as she watched the damage that kick caused. The force his boot carried lifted the slender blonde woman off her knees and smashed her into the concrete tunnel walls. Her whooping attempts to draw air filled the cavern with the sound of her struggle.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck_. Selina’s hands trembled as she crept forward, her entire body was rejecting that she was moving closer to the unfolding insanity.  _Just huddle down…this is the last one…you will have him…no one would blame you…she is just a street-walker... nobody will even miss her. I should— ‘_ Lay there and take it, Selina _.’_

The words slammed into her mind so hard and clear that she thought for a moment the man had spoken them. But then she realized who’s voice she had heard...her father’s. His words that had kept her still and frozen in pain and fear... _‘Lay there and take it…don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be, Selina...’_ She felt the sickness rise up in her throat and she clamped her hand over her mouth before she revealed her position. Only the sound of the struggling woman had camouflaged the small noise. Selina swallowed down the burning bile keeping her hand on her face, her gloved fingertips digging into her cheeks as she struggled to control her emotions.

The man turned and squatted, his fingers laced through the wire grid and he heaved up the walk way.  _Holy fuck. He just lifted that like it was nothing. It had to weigh three hundred pounds if it was an ounce._  Selina shrank against the wall and she reached inside her tunic and pressed the panic button on the locator embedded in her suit.  _Houston, we have a goddamn problem…Please Fox…send me some help._

Five grates were lifted and tossed aside as he prepared the pit for his newest victim. He surveyed the site of his women, the swirls of hair and bleached grey skin marbled over with the once bright fabrics of Gotham’s working women. He held a small flashlight and he took stock of all of them as he stood with his meaty hand on his hip. He could feel the blood engorging himself as he remembered his time with each of them. His jaw flexed and he ground his teeth. He licked his lips and tasted the blood of his newest.  _She was sweet..._  He turned back to claim her and his eyes fixed on the place she had been and he laughed when he realized she was gone.  _This one was gamier than the others_. He ran up the walkway, the flashlight searching the dark tunnel as he called out for her in his strange guttural voice. He called again and again for her. He called her Candy.


	6. Chapter 6

Fox’s Bluetooth in the Mercedes activated and the radio shut off cleanly in the middle of Mary J Blige explaining why she was ‘the one.’ He verbally overrode the security protocol that prevented any sensitive information from being broadcast indiscriminately through the cabin.

A female mechanized voice sounded through the stereo speaker. ‘ _Priority one request from Kat, immediate evacuation and support needed. Priority one request from Kat, immediate evacuation and support needed.’_ Fox jerked the wheel and cut off two lanes of traffic before screeching his diamond white CL65 Coupe down the off ramp and wheeling it to the shoulder of the access road. He activated the custom computer system in the console and it connected immediately with Bruce and Blake. “Gentlemen, we have a situation. More to the point Kat has a situation, stand by for her coordinates. Be advised I have received a priority one request for backup and extraction.”

Fox linked the computer systems and sent her tracking position to the computer terminal in the cave. From there it would be accessible from any transport the men chose to operate. His fingers flew over the small remote keyboard that had illuminated on his black leather steering wheel. It was the same technology employed in the safe house. The light board was the next generation in cyber technology, Apple was beta testing their version now. Their version happened to be the grandfather to the technology Lucius was using at this very moment and it was his tech staff at Wayne Enterprises that had developed the original concept. Apple had purchased the rights from WE for a tidy sum of cash.

Fox accessed the police broad band and the radio chatter between dispatch and field officers filled the sleek cabin of the Benz. A call came over the air less than three minutes later. “Dispatch this is Mike 23 we have a 217 reported in progress.”

Fox pulled up the PD’s codes and trailed down the list his eyes widened slightly as he read, ‘ _217_   _assault with attempt to murder’_ He keyed the radio connection with both Bruce and Blake, “All channels Confirm your response time to location.”

“Bat two en route ETA seven minutes.”

“Bat one en route ETA eighteen minutes.”

Fox felt his stomach tighten as the police broadband activated and the female dispatcher’s disembodied voice sounded over the all emergency channel, “All units...all units we have a 217, repeat 217, in progress in vicinity of Garfield Boulevard and 55th. Reports the perp could be in the sewer system. Break. All units in the vicinity are authorized to respond 10-39. Repeat possible 217 in progress. Suspect is assumed 918V. Suspect assumed 918V armed and considered extremely dangerous. All units stand by for transmission of BOLO. Sector units Charlie 45 and Henry 53 please respond.”

Fox listened intently as the duty officers in the sector responded with a three minute and five minute eta respectively. He searched the other codes and his color grew more ashen as he read.  _918v...Violently insane suspect... 10-39 lights and sirens..._ He intercepted the video feed being sent out to the patrol officers’ computers.

 _Waylon Jones..._  Fox scanned the bio and wrap sheet but his eyes were drawn back up to the photo. The protrusion over Waylon’s brow was prominent, almost Neanderthal-like, his skin was blotchy and uneven. He was obviously African-American, but with some severe form of skin affliction. Fox considered the ~~the~~ medical information included in the bio and his thoughts ran immediately to Atavism. It was a genetic condition that caused the reappearance of primitive traits in an organism after several generations of evolutionary absence.  _It was rare in humans, but not unheard of and I am looking at a man that is presenting with symptoms of it right now_.

Fox snapped back to rapt attention when Gordon’s voice sounded over the scanner, “This is Commissioner Gordon, all responding officers are authorized to use any necessary force to apprehend suspect. No solo patrols are to pursue in the tunnels. Wait for backup.” There was a pause, “Officers be advised there is an undercover responder at the scene engaging suspect, repeat undercover responder may be engaging suspect. Caucasian female, early thirties, black over brown.”

Fox pulled up a secured video transmission from Kat, it had remotely loaded into his server. He scanned the images quickly. They were night vision images from her visor. Images of women floating in water. He shut his eyes for a moment as he settled himself. He returned his attention to the video and forward the feed until the angle changed as Selina slid under the grating and Waylon Jones appeared.

He saw the woman slung under his arm and Lucius sped the video faster, seeing the woman awaken and get manhandled by the sadistic criminal. He knew what was going to follow and sat impassively and watched as Selina Kyle intervened.

The last eight minutes of the video were filmed as the liberated woman stumbled her way out of the tunnel wearing Selina’s visor and carrying the remote locator. She was found outside a Convenient Food Mart screaming up through the grating in the sidewalk. The opening gave the communicator a link to the satellite and that was when it connected with Selina’s position. The video loaded up shortly after.

Fox pushed the video forward to real-time and watched as police arrived and pulled the blonde woman from the tunnel. She was nearly hysterical and the video whipped around as she took off the glasses and the camera tried to track images as she swung her arms about while she communicated with the police officer.

He focused on the audio and was finally able to understand what she was saying. She was saying that there was another woman down there and that she was trapped. She pled with the officer to go and save her. She collapsed to her knees sobbing. She was overwrought and bleeding badly from bite wounds on her neck and arms, Fox had caught glimpses of her injuries as the camera recorded random images around the scene as she turned the glasses over in her hands.

Fox activated the comlink, “Be advised, team, the beacon is not Kat’s current position. She rescued a woman and sent her out with her locator. I am linking you with the origin point of the signal overlaid with a map of the tunnels. You will have to track her from there. Be advised the subject was aware of Kat and was and in close pursuit headed west from that location.”

Bruce listened to the call as he piloted the Bat, his gloved hands tightened on the yoke and he trimmed it out faster, sacrificing stealth for speed as he soared above the skyline of Gotham. The turbines roared from the strain of the load. He normally would have never attempted to fly without the cover offered by the tall buildings of Gotham, but he did not give a damn right now about anything but speed as he pushed hard toward Selina’s last known location.

He switched to autopilot and accessed the sewer maps, utilizing the computer coordinates provided by the uplink on Selina’s transponder to coordinate with the map Gordon had recovered in Selina’s room. He had texted the picture to Wayne’s phone and the satellite routed it directly to the Bat’s computer system.

Bruce searched possible alternate routes from the origination of the woman’s trek out of the tunnels. Fox said they were moving west. Waylon was chasing her away from multiple exit points into a deeper portion of the drainage system. Bruce paused as his eyes narrowed,  _He was chasing her...or was she leading him? Baiting him...drawing him toward…where?_  Bruce scanned the map and his eyes fell on the water treatment plant.

She would have known the lay of the land before she ever went into the tunnel...if there was one thing Selina Kyle was it was that she was meticulous in her preparation. So she would know that it was there, she would realize that would be her best option. She would forgo the twists, turns of the channels and aquifers, and go for a straight shot to where the pipes widened and the drainage systems dumped into the treatment plant. She would want to get him out into the open. Get somewhere that she could maneuver. She would realize that if she was going to have any chance at all in facing him down she would need him out of the close confines of the tunnel and somewhere she could utilize her speed and skills to the fullest. His size alone would overwhelm her in close quarters hand-to-hand combat.

He forced down the panic that threatened as he imagined Selina in the tunnels trapped with Waylon.  _If he got his hands on her in there she was dead, she would never break free. He would overwhelm her with his size, crush her under his weight...and then it would be his teeth ripping through her flesh._  Bruce shook himself away from those thoughts, violently slinging his head as if to physically dislodge the repellant thoughts from his mind.

 _She is resourceful and strong...she can handle herself._  He took little comfort in his own reassurances as his mind conjured in detail the photos of Blake’s friend, the Gotham police officer that had been victimized by the murder dubbed Killer Croc. The brutal end she faced at his hands and the savageness of her final moments were consuming him.

He forced himself to focus as he resumed control and dipped the yoke, twisting the menacing black craft between two enormous tanks of potable water, landing on the outside perimeter of the treatment plant.

X

Gordon and Stephens went in through the open drain knowing SWAT teams were still five minutes out. The uniformed officer stayed with the woman awaiting the approaching ambulance. Before Stephens dropped down into the grate, the woman shoved the goggles into his hand along with the transponder. She stuttered out that they belonged to the Catwoman. “She saved me. The Catwoman. She is not dead like everyone said. It was her, I know it. Help her, please...Please hurry.”

The horror and disgust of seeing the dump where Waylon had left the women still clung to them both. Gordon had forgotten all he ever knew about tactical navigation as he ran through the dark tunnels at breakneck speed. The methodical sweeping of corners and security coverage techniques he depended on for years to see him safely through crack houses and dangerous alleys went out the window with the knowledge that man or monster that had murdered those women was loose down here hunting Selina Kyle.

He had looked up from the water where he knelt over the women his hand wiping his lips as he forced himself not to react physically to the sights and smells of the scene. He had met Gerard’s strained gaze, “We have to make up time. Stay on my six, Jerry. Let’s get this son of a bitch.” All of their collective experience from the GPD told the veteran officers that they needed to move and move fast if they hoped to reach Selina before she became the next victim of a sadistic serial killer.

Gordon had his wrists crossed with his right hand gripping his pistol and left clamped on the long handle of the mag flash light illuminating their path as he ran. Stephens mirrored that pose covering the police commissioner from behind as they hustled deeper into the aquifers.

xxxxx

She had him down. Waylon Jones was on his knees, and Selina was behind him with her foot braced between his shoulder blades at the base of his neck. Bruce froze on the skywalk above her watching as the scene unfolded.

He sat down the Bat in the east end of the facility, using a device from his belt to shear through the latch that held shut the six-foot by six-foot roof access vent. He dropped down two levels when he first heard her scream. His blood ran cold in his veins as the sound echoed off the walls of the treatment plant.

There was something about a woman’s scream that unnerved him like nothing else. He knew it stemmed from the night with his parents, his mother’s scream born from anguish and pain, fear and loss. It haunted him still. Now it was Selina’s scream piercing the darkness. He ran to the edge of the catwalk and he saw them below.

Again, her voice filled the air and he realized with grim pride that it was not a scream of anguish or pain it was primal celebration, a scream of triumphant exertion. Her rage and anger given voice in her victory and it ripped through the air like the shriek of a jungle cat.  _She had him and she knew it._

He did not see how she had taken Waylon down, but there was a heavy chain wrapped at his knees and ankles. Bruce’s attention was drawn from that chain to the one Selina currently had wrapped around his head. She had the links twisted around her fists and she was pulling back with everything she had while she buried her stiletto boot heel deeper into the muscles of his back.

Bruce heard her words clearly as she hissed, “Three times a day you will think of me, Swamp thing.” Bruce realized what she meant when he saw the chain tighten and she worked the links into his mouth.  _Three times a day...Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There would never be another meal time that Waylon Jones didn’t think of her...because there would never be another meal Waylon Jones didn’t drink through a straw_.

Bruce flinched at the sight and sound of teeth tumbling across the floor. The rattle as they scattered across the metal grates and then the individual plunks as they dropped through into the sewer water beneath was unsettling.

Waylon’s roar of rage and pain filled the room echoing off the barren concrete walls. His reaction to her assault was violent, he surged forward taking Selina with him, she did not resist, instead she used the momentum to position herself higher, planting her other knee on his shoulder as she leveraged down. She forced his bottom jaw open and finished the job on his dental work, clearing his lower teeth from his mouth like kernels shucked off a corncob.

Waylon swung his arms wildly; catching the chain with his left hand and jerking it from her grasp.

Bruce climbed up on the railing and nearly made the jump, but hesitated as he watched Selina leap off Waylon’s back in a graceful arch as she executed a back handspring that landed her well clear of his flailing arms.

She came to rest in a low crouch, her knees absorbing the impact of the maneuver. Bruce thought for a moment that his heart was going to burst out of his chest at the sight of her as she landed. One hand planted lightly on the floor as her legs coiled readying her to launch in any direction. Her head tilted as she watched Waylon struggle to his feet.

When she stood it was a slow, smooth controlled rise and a smile curled her red lips.

Waylon staggered forward, kicking loose from the metal bindings as he spat out the heavy iron links of the chain along with shattered remnants of teeth. He spun to face her screaming incoherently as his mind tried to reconcile what had been done to him and that she was the one responsible. “You can’t do this to me!”

It occurred to Bruce then that Waylon, an import from Louisiana, might not even know who this woman was that was currently taking him apart under Gotham City. She was without her trademark goggles and her hair was short and black, but there would be no question to any Gothamite that this was the Catwoman.

As if to remove any further doubt as to her identity, she deployed her claws. The sound of the ten blades unsheathing was tantamount to the sound of a shotgun racking. It was a sound that brought a person’s spine straight and put them instantly on edge. It did all that to Wayne and he was in full armor thirty-five feet above her.

Waylon had started for her and now he faltered, suddenly unsure as he seemed to be rethinking his attack. Bruce felt his lip curl in a sneer as he held himself still.  _I can only imagine the satisfaction Selina found in that. This killer that victimized countless women, praying upon on their fear was now the hunted…now he is the one that was afraid._

Bruce watched as she circled him, she had the dock wall to her back now and she had given him an obvious avenue of escape. With her back against the wall, Waylon now had a clear path to the tunnels. He looked quickly over his shoulder as if he was considering retreat as a possibility.

Selina laughed, “Go ahead and run you piece of shit. I  _want_  you to. I want you to know what it feels like to run for your life.” There was none of the playful urging Bruce had seen before as Selina tempted her marks to rush her...she was ready to bring the fight to him...she was looking for an opening to bring him down. Selina Kyle was not playing anymore.

Waylon looked back at her, panting as a long line of blood and drool streamed from his devastated mouth.

She flashed her teeth at him running her tongue over the bright white perfection that was her smile. “I want you to run, Swamp thing...run like those women ran from you all those times. I want you to run because I am going to be on you before you make it to that tunnel and I’m going to take these,” She flexed her fingers flashing the blades in the low light of the room, “And I am going to rip you apart with them while you beg me for your life...and I’m gonna fucking laugh while I do it.”

Bruce felt his legs tense as he prepared for the leap that would drop him between them.  _She wasn’t a damsel in distress she had fought this guy to a standstill..she had earned this moment and I want her to have it, but I can't stand by and have him lay even a finger on her, not a single finger._ Bruce saw the green dot appear on the peripheral of his visor’s visual feed and he knew Blake had made it to the show. Making his decision he activated the comlink and whispered quietly, “Hold position Bat two.”

x

Blake was moving toward her when he heard the message in his ear, “Hold position Bat two.” Even as he recognized the voice of his mentor, Blake kept moving toward Selina and again the voice came, “Hold position, two. She has this.”

Blake knew if their communications were connecting Bruce was seeing what he was seeing. He did not bother scanning the room for his position, Bruce was here and he was making the call. No one needed to tell him why Bruce was letting this play out like he was either. The words of the retired officer came into his mind when she scolded Bruce about intervening when it wasn’t needed. _She didn’t need a character in a cape swooping in and saving the day when the day didn’t need saving._

Blake slipped along the dark perimeter wall and watched, fighting the urge to intervene. He wanted to avenge Bethany, but was quick to realize that the true vengence was coming in the form of Selina Kyle.This man, this murder of women deserved to find his end at the claws of the Catwoman.

Blake felt his stomach tighten when Selina and the Croc ran toward one another and offered up a final prayer that Bruce would not regret letting it end this way.

X

_That bitch...standing there threatening me...mocking me...telling me I would beg. Everything with my childhood flooded back. My aunt’s abuse...her mocking laugher at my deformities...her hate. It spewed from the woman before me like it had from the rest of the bitches I had killed. She became the woman that terrorized my childhood and haunted my life...she became the face of my pain...she was the reason for it all and she would pay the price for what she had done to me._

Waylon was running at her nearly blind with rage his arms spread wide, his jaw snapping with the need to bite into her flesh. The pain of the jagged remnants of his upper teeth slicing into the hamburgered gums of his lower jaw was not enough to bring him out of his state. Blood spurted into his mouth and the taste of it only further fueled his homicidal fury.

_This one...she had caused it all…her...she was the one…she was laughing at me…she made me powerless…she was to blame…she hurt me..._

His huge hands curled into hooks as he grabbed for her, but she vanished. His head whipped down as the flash of black hurdled past his knee. He tried to kick out at her, but his leg collapsed.

x

Selina knew he was coming before he did. She was already running toward him, her right arm cocked and ready, the claws poised to slice, her left hand curled protectively into her stomach. She knew that she had to do this on the fly; he was too big to try a stationary take down. In the seconds before they met her mind cleared of all the white noise and pain as she pushed aside the pulsing ache in her wrist and the fear gripping her heart and she centered her mind and focused on this one moment. _Everything I have been and everything I ever will be exists only in this moment._

x

Gordon and Stephens broke into the room right as the two met. It was too dangerous to take a shot, but both he and Stephens locked their weapons on Waylon.

x

She dropped and slid to the side, leg trapping him as they collided. His momentum rolled them both and it looked to Blake like she had miscalculated when the trap collapsed and they tumbled across the floor toward the dock doors. Waylon landed above her and Blake reached into his belt and secured three batarangs, his arm was already moving to throw when he realized Selina had him right where she wanted him.

She leveraged her position on the floor and kicked out with both legs. She used the floor to brace herself and give her the leverage she needed to heave the huge man off her and up against the roll up vehicle door. His body slammed against the activation button and the automatic door started to ratchet up. Selina shot a grappling hook out of the arm brace around her wrist. One of the triangle barbs smashed into the door just to the right of his hip, another hit beside his head on the left, and the third penetrated through the meat of his left thigh. The door continued to rise and the heavy wire lifted him along with it. As he struggled to escape his long dread locks caught in the lift chain and fed into the drive cogs. The metal sprockets chewed into the heavy bands of his hair, snapping and ripping the twisted braids, from his scalp.

His bellow of rage turned to an agonized shriek as a mass of hair caught and pinned his head against the steel door. The heavy metal cable that she had deployed had begun to wind into the enormous sprockets as well. It pulled tight against his body and lashed him securely against the metal door.

Blake watched as Selina calmly released the cable from the wrist device as it began to pull her across the floor. She watched with a satisfied smirk from her position sprawled across the concrete floor as the door traveled higher and the unforgiving wire tightened and began to slicing through Waylon’s clothes and into his skin. Blood ribbons appeared as the metal bands pulled through the heavy trench coat and the leggings of his military fatigues.

Gordon rushed across the room and slammed the emergency stop.

Selina did not look surprised at all to see him or Stephens. She even gave Gordon a little wave of acknowledgement before smiling wearily up at the detective that appeared at her side. He took stock of her condition and finding her alive and apparently well, grinned back down at her, “You know you are totally insane don’t you?” He shook his head in disbelief and admiration, “Christ almighty! Are you alright?”

Selina laid her head back on the damp concrete and exhaled, “Never better, Jerry.”

X

Selina collected herself for a moment before shifting up to her elbows. She looked between the two men, “I don’t mind saying I am happy to see you guys.” She reached up her right hand and Stephens hoisted her to her feet, scanning her again for any signs of damage as he helped her find her balance.

Gordon looked up at the huge man pinned against the door and holstered his weapon. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled a breath before looking over at Selina, “You realize you had some people really worried about you?”

Selina looked self-conscious, but nodded that she understood, “Honestly...I had me worried about me. I didn’t exactly plan things out like this intentionally, Jim.” She glanced over at the detective as he handed her the glasses and locating device she had given the woman. She took them and looked up at him with a slight raise of her brow, “Guess she made it out ok?”

Stephens nodded and said quietly, “Yeah she did. Thanks to you.”

Gordon grunted as he rubbed the back of his neck, “We need to get word out that  _you_  are alright and we need to do it pronto, or your boyfriend is liable to string all three of us up right beside big boy over there.”

Selina and Stephens smiled at one another covertly as Gordon tried his cell and then his radio and was not able to connect with either device. He finally knelt under the open dock door and got a signal. He sent a message to Bruce and Fox. “Kat is fine. Suspect in custody. Water treatment plant near induct eleven. He switched over to his radio and called out suspect in custody and requested first responders and an armored transport unit.

Selina walked to the furthest corridor intending to miss the arriving officers as the first wail of sirens heralded the approach of personnel to the scene. The fading adrenaline surge had left her feeling weak and rubbery. Stephens had noticed it and even asked to assist her back to her hotel. Selina refused of course. Now as she was walking alone down the dark corridor she was rethinking that decision. She leaned heavily on the wall of the tunnel sliding her right hand along the rough concrete as she moved, using it to help steady herself as she walked. She had tucked Gordon’s heavy mag light that he insisted she take, under her left arm finding that her wrist hurt now so much that she could not support the weight in her hand. Selina curled the hand into her belt and used it as a makeshift sling to keep the injured wrist immobilized.

She followed the dark tunnel guided by the flashlight, but when she saw the flash of lightning off the walls ahead she clicked it off. There was enough activity down here she didn’t need to draw more attention to herself. Her feet splashed through the puddles as her need for stealth was over, the sound of traffic and thunder from a storm masked her effectively enough. It had started to rain and the tunnel was beginning to slowly fill with the runoff. It was only a few inches deep as the accumulation began to connect the random puddles of water. She looked down at the dark water and then up at the grate above her. Small droplets pattered gently down into the tunnel. She could feel the traffic rumbling above and she sighed. _It was finally over._

She heard voices and she waited her head cocked as she debated what she should do. She glanced down the tunnel and sighed again, her feet were numb and she was starting to feel chilled. It was March in Gotham and the evenings were still cool as spring weather had not yet reached the city. She had been dunked several times in the course of events and she was soggy and exhausted.

She watched the flash of light blink off the dark walls a loud thunderclap boomed. Selina let the rain patter on her face and for a moment she just stood there as the water washed down over her. She shut her eyes and watched through her closed lids as the lightning flashed brightly, focusing on the hum of car motors and waiting for the corresponding clap of thunder. It came and she felt herself relax as she imagined being in her old purple charger with the rain dotting the windshield, the wipers swiping rhythmically across the glass, radio playing lightly as she rolled out of the Bowery.

 _Where will I be headed to once I left the Bowery? That is actually a good question_. Suddenly she was not entirely sure what to do with herself. She blinked her eyes open and looked around as she tried to decide what her next move should be.  _Bruce is going to be pissed. There wasn’t anywhere that I had setup that he wouldn’t be able to find me, but the hardest thing is knowing he might not want to find me. Gordon said that both he and Blake were en route but neither had ever showed. Maybe he was that angry...that disappointed in me._

Ironically, the thought of being in the mansion and him  _not_  coming to her seemed unthinkable.

_I would rather he not know where I was than go all the way out to the Palisades...lay awake all night and he not show. Then what…hide from the construction workers in the cave surrounded by damn rabies infested bats? Trapped in another dark pit, freezing my ass off... No thanks...But I can’t go back to the Wayfarer either. Gordon and Stephens rolled my room. The managers there would bounce anyone that brought the cops down on them. There was too much nefarious business operating out of there to have someone sloppy bringing the heat down on everyone else. Besides, it was freaking disgusting there anyways._

She looked at the grate critically and it occurred to her that she was going to have a hell of a time climbing out of there with a hurt wrist and no grappling device. It might be a long wandering walk through the tunnels before she found another outlet she could manage to get out of, “Shit.” Selina swore softly as she dropped her head in defeat. She planted her hand on her hip and stared dejectedly into the dark water rippling around her boots.

She felt the weight of everything on her and suddenly the thought of sitting right where she was seemed the best option.  _I just need to sit for a minute and collect my though_ _ts_. She pressed hard against the wall behind her and slid down until her bottom rested on the back of her boots.  _I just need a minute…a minute to get my mind right. I had been so scared back there I hadn’t even given a thought to what the hell I was going to do next. Hell I am still shaking. I need to calm down and think. I lived through it and now it’s all over and I need to get a damn grip on myself._

Selina shut her eyes and dropped her forehead to her arms that had wrapped around her knees. Her mind drifted and she only vaguely registered that the drizzle had turned into a shower. She didn’t feel the rain droplets, she just let the comforting sound of the rain lull her as it pattered down over her armored suit. She heard the soft echo of boots and felt something brush her knee. Her right hand flinched reflexively to where her holster should have been. Her eyes snapped opened and she blinked away the droplets of water that collected on her eyelashes and saw the hulking shadow of the Batman. They looked at one another for a long moment.

He knelt beside her and she felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder. She looked groggily over at his gloved hand. It felt surreal and Selina realized then that she was dreaming. She shook her head and dropped her chin back down on her arms as she mumbled, “You’re not real.” She felt her weight shift as the hand shook her, she lifted her head up again, and there were two piercing green eyes searching her face from within the depths of the cowl.

His voice. Bruce had said something. Selina tried to get her brain back in action and said the first thing that came to mind, “I want my gun back.” It came out in a long slur of ‘ _Iwonmygunback_.’

Bruce responded with an unexpected agreement, “Yes.”

x

Bruce knelt beside her, slipped off his glove and touched her cheek.  Alarmed at the coolness of her skin, he asked her again if she was all right and Selina did not respond. Selina shut her eyes and leaned her face into the palm of his hand. Bruce cupped her chin and tilted her face up, demanding she speak. “Selina, answer me. Are you hurt?” There was another slur of words sounding vaguely like ‘I don’t think so’. Bruce peered into her eyes and if not for the situation he would have sworn she was high. Her eyes were glassy and the black pupils were blown so large there was only a hint of brown that rimmed the sides. Gathering her closer, Bruce studied her sluggish response as she turned her head and she tried to track the movement of his hand, “You are in shock kitten. I need to get you out of here.”

Selina might have agreed or maybe she didn’t, either way it would not have mattered, Bruce was already pulling her to her feet. He apologized when she flinched away from the pressure, he exerted on her left wrist. The pain must have brought Selina back to her senses because she was suddenly more alert and aware. She swatted away his hands when she realized that Bruce was intent on carrying her. Wayne had no problem understanding her next words as she enunciated loud and clear.“Screw that Bats. I will be damned if I am carried out of here like a victim. If you wanna carry somebody, go sack up that scaly-looking fucker and throw him over your shoulder. I am going out the way I came in, under my own power on my own two feet.”

They glared at each other and came to a silent compromise of his arm around her shoulders and hers arm looped unsteadily around his waist. Bruce led her down the twisting tunnel using the tracker and  florescent markers he had deployed on the nerve wracking race to find her. The water was rapidly filling the tunnel now and it was at their knees and moving swiftly. Selina stumbled and Bruce caught her as she lost her balance. Bruce resettled her on her feet holding her firmly at his side. Bruce was faced with the choice of slowing to her pace or going to war with her over the exit strategy. By the time they arrived at the access point Selina was leaning heavily against him and her pace was slow enough to make Wayne clinically insane.

 _Holy hell we are both so stubborn. I don’t know how we have ever made it this far together with neither of us ever wanting to give a damn inch._   Bruce was so grateful to see the opening in the tunnel that he nearly cursed in relief. Glancing down Wayne and saw that she wasn’t even looking up anymore. Her head was pressed against the armor plate over his heart and she seemed barely able to land one foot infront of the other. It was just as well that she seemed unaware of her surroundings as she was in no shape to facilitate her escape and Bruce was done placating her.

X

Selina felt Bruce stop and realized he had the grappling gun in his hand, seconds later they were airborne and Wayne was hefting her one-handed out of the storm grate and onto the street. Selina sat numbly on the lip of the grate her legs dangling down as she tried to gather her bearings and adjust to her new found freedom.

Selina felt his hands under her arms and then he was lifting her onto her feet. Bruce kept an arm under hers pressing her hard to his side. She tried to tell him she could walk fine now that the water obstacle was gone, but Wayne was insistent. She mumbled something about him being a pushy boy scout and was rewarded with a growl. Truthfully, his arm was welcomed support as she allowed herself to be led to the hulking aircraft.  Selina eyed it with trepidation as the canopy slid open and the ladder unfolded.  _This was going to be a challenge._

“Can you climb?”

Selina gave him a withering look when Bruce had the audacity to ask aloud the very question she had been posing to herself. Bruce gave her a look daring Selina to lie to him. The sarcasm died on her lips but played loudly in her mind.  _Can I climb? Really Wayne? You just asked the Catwoman of all people if she could climb a little ‘ole six rung ladder? Bitch please._

She shoved off him and managed not to stagger as she walked over to the ladder under her own steam. Selina winced as her left hand grasped the second steel rung. She reversed her grip and then stepped up. Selina felt Bruce at her back pressing against her as he slipped his left arm under hers, gripping the steel ladder securely. Bruce’s position allowed Selina to support her weight against his bicep with her upper arm and elbow so she didn’t have to try to take the pressure on an injured wrist.  _Alright that was pretty nice of him_.

Selina gave him a look of appreciation over her shoulder and Wayne just lifted his chin and rasped out a single word, “Climb.”

Selina laughed, “I nearly forgot how charming you can be sometimes.”


	7. Chapter 7

The flight in the Bat was as unnerving to Selina as the first time she flew with Bruce, however this time she was shaking not from fear, but from cold. She finally told him about halfway to their destination that she was dying of frostbite, “It’s a meat locker back here, Bats.”

He glanced up at the display of her in the seat behind him as he adjusted the controls. A stronger current of warm air filled the rear of the compartment, but Selina was still shivering uncontrollably by the time they landed. She had pulled off her gloves and had her hands pressed over the vents, but it had done little to alleviate the chill she felt. Selina couldn’t help but be reminded of their night in the metallurgy as she tried to flex her numb fingers. She bit back the urge to share that little tidbit, as Bruce did not seem to be in the talking mood. It was for the best anyways, every time she tried to string more than a few words together her tongue felt thick in her mouth and her words slurred.

As they crashed through the wall of water that camouflaged the cave, Selina peered around the natural cavern wishing she felt chipper enough to ask for a guided tour of the underground facility.

Bruce sat the craft down and the canopy was lifting before the turbine engines even began to wind down. Selina felt around for the release her harness and the clasp slipped through her numb fingers. Bruce released it for her and she let her annoyance show, muttering, “I had it,” through chattering teeth. That was evidently the last of Selina Kyle’s attitude that Bruce was prepared to deal with because he pulled her bodily out of her seat and told her to shut up. He actually said to ‘ _stop talking_ ’ but what Selina heard and what she understood him to mean was ‘shut up’.  _Screw it. I didn’t feel like talking anyways._

He extended his unwillingness to engage Selina in an argument by not opening discussions on how they were going to make their exit from the plane. He growled out a “Hold on” and jumped them off the aircraft. Selina’s reactions had slowed, but she still managed to hook her left leg over his thigh and grab his utility belt before the cape deployed.

She need not have bothered with her attempt to anchor as they were redundant supports. Bruce had her pinned securely to his chest, his arms wrapped like iron bands at her waist and shoulders tucking her tightly against him. He sailed them expertly over the expanse of water that surrounded the landing pad to the computer command center where he landed gracefully despite supporting her additional weight. Selina released him and dropped her feet down, but he kept his arms tight around her not acknowledging that she was attempting to stand on her own. He kept her pressed against him; Selina’s booted feet remained suspended several inches off the ground. She heard a door slide open behind them and realized she had missed a room during her previous recon of the cave. She twisted and looked behind them as he carried her up a small run of stairs.

 _I hadn’t minded the express route down from the Bat as the idea of climbing down frankly sucked, but I don’t need to be carried around like an invalid._ Shekicked to get loose, pushing against him with her uninjured hand as she grumbled, “Let me down tough guy.” Wayne did not respond to her demand, he just kept walking. She could tell by the press of his lips and the strumming muscles in his jaw that he was angry. His anger did not help matters any at all.  _I am not in the mood for macho bullshit. I had a rough night tonight and a bad week in general. I feel like crap and I hate being carried._ It made her feel insignificant and powerless. Selina felt the anger pooling in her gut and used it to sharpen her focus. She pushed harder against his chest and nearly leveraged free from his grip.

Bruce spun and pressed her against the hard rock wall. “Stop, Selina…Stop right now. I am barely staying hooked up as it is.”

She met his fierce gaze with one of her own.  _Now we are both pissed._ Selina’s voice was a low growl,“I’m serious, Bruce. Let me down.”

There was a long pregnant moment while they faced off against one another. Selina could feel his warm breath against her face and then it was the feel of his scorching skin as his lips covered hers. She realized then how cold she was as the steady firm press of his mouth called attention to shivering of her jaw. Even the metal of the cowl seemed warm against the chill of her cheek as it pressed against her skin as his mouth moved against hers. In just those few seconds he took her from fighting his embrace to practically crawling up his body as she fought to bring him closer. She wanted to feel more of his skin against hers and she made an attempt to remove his cowl before he captured her fingers in his gloved hand reminding her gently, “Careful of the safeguards.”

At some point, Bruce must have started walking again because the next thing she knew they were passing through another door into a utility room. She felt his lips leave hers and her eyes blinked open. She heard the cowl clank off the rock floor and he returned to kiss her again. Wayne’s face was impossibly warm. Selina pressed closer, relishing the heat of his skin against her own. She wanted to feel him everywhere against her and nuzzled her face into the soft spot between his ear and jaw. His ungloved hand gripped the nape of her neck holding her steady. She mummbled her approval at the contact. She felt him shift his grip and watched as he pulled his other glove off with his teeth dropping it carelessly onto the floor.

His newly freed hand came up immediately covering her cheek with its warmth, “You are frozen, kitten.” His voice rumbled out of his chest and she felt herself shudder. Her reaction had nothing to do with the temperature of her body and everything to do with the man that held her in his arms.  _I suddenly_ _don’t_ _care that I_ _’m_ _being carried, nothing_ _matters_ _except getting closer to him._

She heard water echoing off the rock walls and had the vision of him walking them through the cold fall of water, and she again squirmed in his arms trying to find the ground with her feet. His hand was cupping her bottom and he held her steady against his body.  _Now I would argue about any point and engage Bruce in a fight sometimes just for the sport of it, but this_ _is_ _not something I_ _care_ _to dispute any further. Carry me if you want to Wayne...Grab my cold ass if it makes you happy... If I wasn’t so numb, I’m sure I would be enjoying the attention._

He walked them into the falling water, uniforms and all. She braced for the shock of cold and it took her a moment to realize that the water that rained down over them was heated. Steam rippled off the stone as Bruce stood there supporting her in her arms. His mouth found hers again and Selina returned his urgent kiss. She realized from the feel of his face and hands and the searing burn of his kiss that the shower was solely for her benefit. He radiated heat like a furnace from beneath the suit. She wrapped her hand around his neck enjoying the returning of feeling to her fingers. She fisted her hand in the dark perfection that was Bruce Wayne’s hair and he rewarded her with a low growl.

The heady mix of passion was overwhelming, coupling that with the events of the night left her head swimming. As he broke away from her lips, he said something she didn’t catch. She looked around them confused, realizing then how disconnected she felt.  _Bruce might not have been wrong earlier...maybe I_ _am_ _in shock._ She tried to recall the flight to the cave and found that her memory was choppy. Truthfully, she wasn’t entirely sure how they had gotten out of the tunnels.  _I remembered him lifting me out_ _,_ _but everything before_ _is_ _foggy like a disjointed dream. Shock..._ _Isn’t_ _memory impairment a symptom of shock? Shit if_ _I can_ _remember._  She laughed a little at that irony, it was a brittle broken laugh that had more than a crazy edge to it especially with the strange echo in the cave. That sound was enough to sober her and it suddenly made everything very unfunny.

She squirmed against him again, pulling him closer. She laid her cheek against his and wrapped herself tighter around him. She heard his gravelly voice in her ear, “I have you, Selina. You are safe now.” She nearly fought that sentiment.  _If I felt better, I would let him have it with both barrels. I was doing just fine before you found me buckaroo... Kicking ass and taking names thank you very little._ She did not argue the point because for the first time since that call in Florence, she felt the knot of fear in her stomach untangling. _I can’t deny it...I feel safe with him...only with him_

As he kissed her again she heard a needy moan escape her throat and she felt her control slipping.  _Damn if that doesn’t piss me off_. She tried to lock down her emotions.  _Falling apart now would do nothing to reassure to him that I could handle myself. Going to pieces_ _is_ _not an option. I still have not forgiven myself for my little episode on the penthouse rooftop. I will be damned if I reprised my role tonight as the helpless female._ She broke away from his kiss and pushed hard against the insignia emblazoned across his chest, “Put me down, Bruce.”

His hands gripped her firmly and held her still. Even through the heavy armor that covered him she could feel the rise and fall of his chest under the firm pressure of her hand. “Please...Not yet.” Bruce’s quiet request had Selina searching his face and she felt her breath catch at the raw emotion visible even in the low light of the room. He was not exaggerating when he said that he was barely hanging on, he was wrecked. He looked torn and raw as he pulled her tighter against his body. She was suddenly relieved by his refusal to let her go.

_This was as much for him as it was for me._

She relaxed her arm letting him settle her closer. She pressed her forehead against his and they stayed that way for a long while. Nose to nose, her hand fisted in his hair, legs wrapped over his thighs as his arms grounded her to him. She told him that she loved him and that she was sorry and then he did tell her to shut up. He told her to shut up and not to talk and to just let him hold her. He whispered that he needed her to be real; to not have this be another dream and that was when Selina knew she had not been the only one haunted by their separation.  _The way he_ _looks_ _at me, the open vulnerability in his face shattered any illusions I had of hiding how I felt...of being anything other than honest about how much I_ _need_ _him...how much I_ _love_ _him. He_ _deserves_ _better than that from me_.

He kissed her with desperation asking repeatedly if she was all right as he ran his hands over her slender sides. She nodded, promising him that she was fine. She told him Fox’s armor had held and felt his shoulders sag with relief as he buried his face in the hollow of her neck. She held him, understanding that she had not been the only one terrified by the night’s events. “If anything had happened to you, Selina...”

He flexed and even through the protection of her suit and the numbness of her skin, Selina felt the power in his hands. He shifted and sat her gently down on the ground. There was a fine metal grating under her and she looked up at him not understanding why he was pulling away. Her mind was foggy and the flash of the metal Batarang in his hand took her by surprise. She flinched away reflexively, but he persisted, gently gathering her left arm at the elbow. She immediately relinquished her injured arm understanding his intentions she watched with detached curiosity while he sliced the sleeve of her uniform from shoulder to hand.  _Damn, Fox_ _is_ _going to get tired of replacing suits for me_.

Bruce inspected her injured wrist. It was bruised and swollen but Selina didn’t think it was broken. This was an opinion she tried to convey, but her reassurance came out in a slurred, “Donworryimfine.”

His eyes snapped back up to her and his concern was evident. Selina had enough self-awareness to know talking was hurting her case rather than helping so she just resigned herself to strategic silence during the rest of Bruce’s inspection. She rested her chin on the armored bulge over her knee and closed her eyes. Eventually he lifted her face and kissed her lightly as he pushed the suit off her other shoulder. The water helped the fabric slide and Bruce had little difficulty freeing her upper body from the confines of the suit. His eyes swept over her skin as he assured himself of her condition.

She watched him and it struck her how much she loved him. She pulled his face to hers trying to show him that she was all right that everything was as it should be. Bruce kissed her, but it was more to distract her than anything else because before she realized it, he had slid the suit over her hips and down to her knees. He broke away from her abruptly and with resolute determination began the removal of her boots.

Selina seriously considered slapping him right then for acting like such a robot.  _Fucking droid. I’m numb from cold and hardly know which way is up after my run in with the lizard king and I_ _am_ _still willing to forgo everything else for a romp with him in this bat-infested cave. What does that say about me?_ She gave Bruce a reproachful look that he never saw thanks to his undivided attention on her footwear _. I guess if anything, it_ _proves_ _I was missing our sex life more than he was...jerk._

The catch on her right boot stuck and Bruce snapped it with an impatient flick of his wrist. Selina registered the action with mild regret _. Another thing for Fox to replace. Oh well, the stench of the sewers_ _is_ _not likely to ever come out of the suit anyways. It_ _is_ _a lost cause. Speaking of lost causes..._ Her hand went up to her head and the wig she wore. She worked a finger against her skin forcing it under the glue line while Bruce divested her of her boots. She pulled free from the disgusting hairpiece and tossed aside its battered remains. It landed in a wet heap, the dark strands of hair hanging down between the mesh of the drain. She tried not to think about how it reminded her of the women in the sewers; dead, lifeless hair floating in the black water.

She felt her stomach twist and her eyes pricked with the sting of tears.  _How many had_ _there_ _been...a dozen? More?_  She was suddenly grateful for Bruce’s single-minded determination. She wanted all the remnants of tonight gone. The grime...the blood...the stench of death was suddenly overwhelming. She forced her mind away from the memories concentrating instead on the one-handed removal of her braids. Her left hand was curled protectively against her stomach as she pawed at the twists holding her long hair and focused her mind away from the Bowery.

_I can almost smell the shampoo... feel my fingernails working the soap into my scalp..._

She felt Bruce tug off the last remaining boot and blinked up at him startled away from her daydream. She watched as he ran his hands over her bare legs. She could not feel his touch, which was just as well because he was still in droid-mode and could not have cared less that she was nearly naked and it had been months since they had seen one another.  _He_ _’s_ _scanning me for cuts and scrapes, bites, bumps, bruises, and his clinical detachment_ _irritates_ _the hell out of me._  She took her frustrations out on her hair, as she pulled hard at the last stubborn strands.  _It_ _’s_ _probably for the best that I_ _’m_ _numb and didn’t feel the effects of my actions as I_ _am_ _normally tender-headed._

Finally satisfied she was not hiding additional injuries Bruce returned his attention to her face. His lips gave a small twitch, as he looked at her long hair half undone hanging wet and limp across her face. “There is my beautiful, Selina.”

She growled out a response that was not words because words were failing her tonight anyways. He brushed the strands of hair behind her ear and Selina realized he was finally letting himself look at her... really see her. His eyes traced over her face, drifting over the faux tattoos on her ear and neck, lingering on her lips before dipping down to her chest. He focused on freeing her breasts from the black lace bra that covered them. Bruce favored her with a little smirk before he snapped the thin material with a flex of his hands. He licked his bottom lip and his eyes darkened with lust as his hands traveled lower. He hooked her panties with the blade of the batarang and they gave without even a whisper of protest. He repeated the same on the other hip and as he pulled them away from her he kept his head lowered. When his eyes lifted and she saw the effect on him she was lost.

 _A man should not look at a woman like that and expect her to just lay_ _back and take it._  She gave up on her hair and hooked a finger into the front of his suit tugging him toward her. He grasped her hand in his and held her still. He looked in her eyes and kissed the back of her hand and then the tip of her nose before he stood. Selina watched him take a step back and start quickly and expertly removing his suit. “Droid,” she muttered under her breath.

Selina returned to her one-handed efforts to liberate her hair as she watched him pull loose from the armored bat suit. Her fingers stalled as she took in the sight of him.  _Jesus Christ, he_ _is_ _gorgeous._   _The weeks without me had apparently treated him well; he put on a good_ _fifteen_ _pounds since I last saw him. His chest and abdomen_ _are_ _full and defined. I would not have thought it possible, but his shoulders_ _look_ _broader, his muscled thighs thicker._  She felt a heavy tug in her core as she admired the raw masculinity of Bruce Wayne, soaking wet and gloriously nude.

He kicked the black lump of his uniform aside and returned to her. His hand came to her face and she was only vaguely aware of his other hand in her hair working quickly to undo the final braid. She ran her hand up his arm and he stilled immediately his eyes locking it as Selina’s fingers migrated over him. She did not let his tense reaction deter her. She had seen him naked and droid-mode or not, it was obvious from the state of Bruce’s body that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. She did not intend to wait any longer, but again he abruptly pulled away. She swore aloud this time, making sure he was fully aware of her discontent. She was about to get to her feet and walk the hell away when she saw the bottle in his hand. The familiar clear container filled with amber soap. Johnson’s baby shampoo.

She did not care that he was smirking as he worked the soap into her hair and she could not find it in herself to be mad at him for denying her sex. It felt so good as his fingers massaged the soap through her hair that she willingly accepted this as a consolation prize. At this moment she would have forgiven him anything. He took longer than was necessary obviously inspired by her throaty groans of pleasure. She took advantage of his close proximity and slid herself against his body. She wrapped her legs around his waist and curled her arms over his shoulders.  _He_ _is_ _so warm, beautiful, and strong that it_ _is_ _intoxicating._  She held on to him and when he circled one of his arms around her she realized how alone she had been without him.

x

 _We must have been in the shower for quite awhile_. She realized this as she peered down at the pruned wrinkled skin on her fingertips. She took stock of her condition and realized that she had stopped shaking and then noticed they were still on the floor of the shower. They were a jumble of arms and legs twined around one another. Her head was on his shoulder, and his arms were wound tight around her. She wondered briefly if she had lost consciousness.  _Maybe I had taken a shot to the head and just not realized._  She organized her thoughts remembering only vaguely the memory of Bruce rinsing her hair and soaping her body. She wasn’t entirely sure that she hadn’t imagined it all. She focused on the tactile, running her hand over his shoulder and down his chest.  _Wet skin over hard muscle, a light dusting of coarse hair under my fingertips. This_ _is_ _real... he_ _is_ _real._

She lifted her head and noted the intense alertness of Bruce’s eyes as they searched hers, “Bruce...am I alright?”

His jaw flexed and he looked like he was struggling with an answer to what she considered a simple question. He kissed her forehead, “You have been through a lot tonight, Selina.” She dropped her head back to rest against the muscular swell of his deltoid. His arm flexed and she was glad the numbness had left her limbs so she could feel his hands on her skin as he stroked her back. She felt his chest rumble against hers as he quietly asked, “Are you warm enough?”

She nodded and wished she hadn’t when he shifted away from her and stood. He helped her to her feet and then off them again. Her sound of discontent at him having disrupted their moment of intimacy turned into a hum of approval as she was wrapped back around him. He guided her arms over his shoulders and encouraged her to circle her legs around his waist. Selina’s acceptance obviously registered with him and he whispered into her ear, “I take it that we aren’t going to fight about me carrying you this time then, kitten?”

She grumbled a rude response into the damp warm skin of his neck and tightened her legs around his waist. He draped a thick towel over her ensuring that she was covered her from head to bottom before shifting his arms and pinning the cloth against her. The towel held the warmth of the shower to her skin and shielded her core from the cool blast of air as he walked them through the cave. She felt the muscular swell of his glutes flexing under her calves and she realized with amusement that he had not bothered with a towel for himself. Bruce walked them to the lift and Selina couldn’t help but smile.  _Alfred would not approve of you walking bare-assed through the manor...this isn’t the YMCA master Wayne..._

Her chin rested on his shoulder as he walked and she looked again at the operation he had put together under his family home. Selina had found this little Wayne house secret her fourth night in the manor.

_There was a draft that rippled the freshly hung curtains in the private library. This was one of the first rooms finished, it was obviously important to Alfred that it be completed, which made it important to Bruce. There were not that many non-batman related things that were of importance to Bruce Wayne. I had lit a candle and walked the room until the fluttering flame showed me where the air was entering. I found the passage and then traced the release mechanism to the piano. I searched under the piano to find the trigger wired to several keys, playing the affected keys in different combinations until I found the right notes. I was no piano player, but even to me the notes sounded off key and intentionally wrong. It would be hard to reproduce even accidentally._

_I spent the rest of the evening prowling the cave and was impressed to say the least at the set up Wayne had below the mansion. I wondered if Gordon knew about it, if he realized just how important it had been to get the mansion back to Bruce? I doubt that he did. I doubted that Wayne would ever tell him. I doubted that Gordon would have wanted or expected him to, that is just who they were to one another. Bruce would have never tried to get the house back either. He would have arisen from the dead and continued to allow his childhood home to safe-house Gotham’s orphans._

_Damn Bruce Wayne...you are a hell of a guy.._.She lifted off his shoulder and kissed the hard jut of his jaw. Bruce turned his face and whispered in her ear. “Almost there kitten.”

Her voice was soft and she whispered back quietly, “I love you, Bruce.”

He growled, “That’s not going to help your cause with me. You are in deep trouble...deep, damn trouble, mauvaise fille.” She listened to him and sighed as she resigned herself to the consequences of her deception. Hope grew a little in her heart when she heard him rumble out, “Petite sorciere.”

Selina accepted that being called a little witch might not be too bad since he seemed to love her in spite of it and maybe, just maybe a little bit  _because_  of it. She let her fingers thread through his dark wet hair as he walked them through the shadowy halls of Wayne manor. Her eyes took in the now familiar sights as the master of the house walked without hesitation toward his room.  _He had been here, he had seen it._ Her lips twitched, “Did you like it, Bruce?”

She felt his arms tighten, “I loved it, Selina. It took me apart...you knew it would. You intended it to, didn’t you?”

She shook her head and pressed a kiss to his neck feeling the strong pulse of his heart, “I just wanted you to think of me...remember our time together.”

His voice rumbled, “I did. Believe me. I did, Selina.”

Selina brushed her cheek against his, “I came here as often as I could. Being here made me feel closer to you.” She swallowed her pride and gave into how she felt about him, “I wanted you to figure it out. I wanted you to come here looking for me. It killed me to be away from you this long, Bruce.”

He held her tightly against him as he took the stairs two at a time, “I did come for you, Selina. I’m just an idiot and it took me a lot longer than it should have to figure things out.” He squeezed her bottom, “In my defense, you are a tricky little witch.” His warm lips pressed against her ear, “I’m sorry it took me as long as it did. I’m sorry that you were loose in this damn city this whole time without me knowing.” Selina felt his chest expand and his voice dropped lower, “I almost can’t forgive you for that kitten. That you would put yourself at risk like you did. You can’t do things like this anymore. Do you hear me?”

His voice was raw and she understood his pain, she felt his fear. “I know it was wrong. I just couldn’t... It was unbearable to be in Italy knowing you were here.” She looked away from him as she spoke, “I knew you didn’t want me here...that I would interfere with what you were planning with Blake...I didn’t want that, but I couldn’t stay away...” Her voice faltered as she realized no excuse was going to hold water with him so she just dropped her head back against his shoulder and pressed harder against his chest.

x

xx

xxx

x  _Bruce POV x_

Selina clung to me and I realized she was afraid of how I was going to react. Hell, I couldn’t blame her. I still didn’t know what I was feeling. I stopped at the top of the stairs, “No more of this, Selina. No more lying to one another. No more games...ever.” When I looked at her, I saw the trepidation in her eyes and I began walking again as I set my terms with her. “Selina, I cannot have a repeat of this. Tonight...you going down there by yourself. Not knowing if you were alright...I can’t handle it.”

I paused for a moment my hand braced against the rough wood of the door to our bedroom, “I meant it when I said you would never face another monster on your own and there you went...down there without me. What were you trying to prove? Taking him on like that...” My voice cracked and I had to start again, “He could have—” She silenced me with her cool lips on mine and I had to pull her away physically. I wasn’t going to be deterred that easily from the message I intended to deliver, “Dammit I am being serious, Selina. Now listen to me.”

“I am,” she said as she tried to kiss me again, “I am listening. Bruce. I didn’t want to be down there by myself...you were all I could think of...I activated the locator because I needed you there.”

I pulled her arm loose from around my neck and fixed her with a piercing gaze, “What if you hadn’t been able to handle him? What if he had gotten you down and I couldn't make it in time? It is hard enough for me when we go into things toget—” Her lips were on mine again stealing the argument from my tongue. I kissed her with a desperation that overwhelmed us both. All the emotions of the past hours pouring out of me as my lips punished her for her deception. I pulled her body hard against mine as I tried to make her understand with more than just words what she meant to me…what losing her would have meant to me.

With her hand fisted in my hair and her legs clamped around my waist my brain was frying, “Stop Selina...now stop.” I mumbled the order as she invaded my mouth with her tongue. Of course, she did everything but stop. She pulled me closer, and I turned my head away in frustration. Her teeth nipped at my ear sending sparks of desire down my spine as I whisper hoarsely, “He was a fucking animal, Selina. The things he did…he w—”

She jerked my chin toward her and her eyes bore into mine, “Stop imagining all of the bad things that didn’t happen, Bruce. I am here. You are here. We are both safe. Don’t waste time with that. Haven’t we wasted enough time already?”

I smoothed back a drying curl from her forehead and shook my head, “So you think that’s it? You lied and snuck around...hid yourself from me...led Gordon and I around the Bowery like children on a scavenger hunt. Then tonight you almost got yourself killed and what? You think we are going to screw and it will be like none of it ever happened? I will just forget it all and forgive you?”

Selina cocked her head, “Yeah. Yes. That. Just like that.” She looked longingly at me and hope shone brightly in her eyes, “You forgive me, and I will forgive you.”

 _She will forgive me? “_ Witch...” I growled out a curse as I lay her down on our bed and lost myself in her kiss. The feel of her breasts pressing against my chest had me achingly hard. I only came back to myself when I felt her tremble under me. I pulled the duvet over us and covered her with the warmth of my body. I looked at the familiar cover as it brushed against her cheek and I realized it was me shaking. The thought of losing her crushed me, “Don’t lie to me again, Selina.” I pressed my lips against hers letting my teeth graze her lower lip. She moaned into my mouth and I felt my mind releasing its hold on rational thought.  _She was playing me...wrapping me up in the memories of us in Europe, stealing away my anger, and drowning me in emotion._  “Witch... sneaky witch...”

“Bruce, don’t leave me again. Please.”

Her nails dug into my back and I felt her desperation. The fear in her voice rocked me and I realized what she had felt in Italy was not protection it was abandonment. I held her tighter and gave her what she needed. “Never again Selina. I’m never doing something foolish like that again.” She looked up at me and the haunted look in her eye was more than I could stand. I pulled her under my chin, rolling to my side so my weight was off her, but she could still felt me covering her. She nuzzled against me and I palmed her head with my hand, “It’s done now, Selina. We are both back where we belong.”

I heard exhaustion and defeat in her voice, “I screwed up, Bruce. You are right. I shouldn’t have gone after him... He was too much...When I saw him I just froze...I was so afraid, Bruce...I heard my father’s voice and it was like I was that powerless kid all over again and I almost...couldn’t make myself face him. That woman...she could have died because of me…”

Her voice was barely a whisper and I realized through her halting confession that she was ashamed of the fear that had gripped her in the darkness under the city. I held her tighter; my mind racing as I tried to imagine what it had taken her to do what she did to save that woman.  _What had it taken for you face down a man like Waylon Jones? The answer was simple. It was the same guts that she had when she took on the mobsters at the marina...the same steely nerve it took to save herself from the abuse of her father. It was courage, plain and simple._

“I know you were scared, Selina.” My voice was a raspy whisper, “What you did tonight...the way you handled yourself down there...” I pressed her tightly against my chest, “I’m proud of you, Selina. Proud of your strength, your ability, your courage.”

I felt her shake her head, “Courage...” She nearly choked over the word.

I pulled back, looked down at her, and confirmed my assessment, “Courage.” I caressed her chin with my thumb running it along the ridge of her jaw, “Courage is not the absence of fear, Selina. It is the willingness to act in spite of it. That woman is alive tonight because of you. Because you had the courage to do what had to be done.”

Her eyes were liquid as she looked up at me, “How angry are you that I came back to Gotham?”

“Furious,” was my whispered response as I kissed her gently. As her eyes slipped shut, a tear escaped. I curled her into my neck and kissed its salty path to the hairline of her temple. “You are safe now, Selina. Just rest, you don’t have to be afraid anymore, I’ve got you tonight.” I felt her decompressing, the fear and anxiety releasing as her body softened in my arms. In that moment I realized how far we had actually come.

_Selina Kyle trusts me...she loves me._

For Selina, love and trust never seemed to be mutually exclusive of one another. It had taken moving heaven and earth to help her realize that I could be trusted with the truth of her past and still accept her after all that she had been through. It took time to show her that I loved her not in spite of her life experience, but _because_  of them. Because they shaped her, into the woman I held in my arms at this very moment.

As I listened to her recount the horrifying decision to go to battle with Jones, she let me see her at her most vulnerable. She laid herself open sharing with me the crippling fear that she had felt. She told me about the horrifying memories of her past that nearly paralyzed her and I was overwhelmed at the intimacy she afforded me as she exposed the woman that existed beneath the hard armor of the Cat.

It occurred to me then that she did not truly understand where her strength lay. It was not the Catwoman outfitted in the latest Wayne Tech that stood against Killer Croc, it was a little brown-haired girl from the wrong side of Gotham that had brought the fight to him tonight. It was in that brave little girl that Selina Kyle’s strength was born. Her father’s voice had been a reminder that she had what it took to stand up against men like Jones. She dipped into that well of courage inside herself and did what needed to be done.

I watched her closely as she lay in my arms, her eyes were open and unblinking as her head rested on my chest while she spoke. She offered more of herself to me in those few moments than I could have ever have asked for in a lifetime. Knowing that Selina was allowing her facade to fall in front of me, that she was choosing to find shelter in my arms was...humbling. I kissed her brow and pulled the cover higher over her bare shoulder as she settled further into my arms.

I wish that I could say that I held her and that she was able to draw strength from my protective embrace, but that was not the truth. I lay there listening to her soft breaths and halting words and it was me that drew strength from her. It was my eyes that burned from unshed tears as she took me below Gotham city and shared with me what she endured. She said she regretted doing it as she squeezed her hand around my waist. She stared down at her injured wrist and then looked up at me with her soft brown eyes,“All I could think of, Bruce, was that I had failed you. Cost us our life together...and I had failed...failed to find the Joker...I was going to die knowing he was still out there and that you would be facing him without me.”

I quieted her, the same as she had me, with a kiss that stopped the flood of worry and what ifs. I soothed her with the gentle caress of my lips. I waited for her to show me what she needed as my mind worked to process everything that had happened _. I was still upset with her for her deception, but I could not bring myself to be angry that she had come back to Gotham._   _She came back to protect me...us...this. To make sure we never lost this beautiful thing that we had found in one another. But then she got caught up in the Bowery and she was put in a position where she couldn’t stand on the sidelines and not act. That was the part that I understood the most...that was the thing she understood about me...she was the only person that ever seemed to get it…the drive I had to save Gotham..._

I realized then that preserving the love we had found in one another was paramount, but we both had to be true to ourselves to who we are. I was the Batman and she, whether she accepted it or not, she was the Catwoman. We both had our codes and responsibilities and we both had to come to terms with how we were going to balance them with loving one another. There was one thing I was certain of, we belonged together, and denying that fact any further was not something I was prepared to do. Selina Kyle was back in Gotham to stay and I had to get onboard with that fact. I gently broke  away from her lips and whispered against her cheek, “Accueillir à la maison. Je t’aime petite sorciere.”

She fixed me with her soft chocolate eyes, “Bruce, je t’aime. Je veux être avec vous pour toujours.”

x

xx

**French:**

“Mauvaise fille”- bad girl

Accueillir à la maison- welcome home

“Je t’aime petite sorciere.” - I love you little witch

‘je t’aime” I love you

Je veux être avec vous pour toujours” - i want to be with you always


	8. Chapter 8

Selina crept stealthily to the door of their bedroom balancing lightly on the balls of her feet. She had slipped on a short robe from her closet; the rich purple color of the silk matched the shade of her engagement ring almost perfectly. She had been laying across Bruce’s chest earlier, nearly asleep when she heard his low voice rumble, “Selina...where is your engagement ring?”

She lifted her head and given him a sleepy smile, “Safe.”

His eyes were on her injured hand that lay cradled against his stomach as he gently stroked her back, “I asked  _where_  it was, not  _how_  it was.”

Selina nudged him with her knee and pointed beside the bed, “It’s safe...  _in_  the safe.”

He retrieved the ring immediately from its secure storage. Rather than disturb her, Bruce instead dutifully accepted her directions on how to disarm the security measures as she remained curled in bed. Bruce was properly impressed with the design of the new security. The safe was in the wall by Selina’s nightstand, camouflaged so well that he had never even noticed its presence. It would not have helped him even if had he discovered it on the initial search of the room, as the process to open it was arduous and complex. Any attempt to open it would have failed without Selina’s instruction. The reward for the effort in disarming it now, however was substantial. The contents included his mother’s necklace, the pearl earrings that he had given Selina for Christmas and the object that had kicked off his quest originally, Selina Kyle’s engagement ring.

Bruce thought about the limited inventory of the safe for a moment.  _Selina has any number of jewels that well eclipse the value of the earrings and even the pearls, but none of them benefit from the protection of the safe. The why was simple, these pieces matter to her. Their intrinsic worth based not in the exchange rates of metal and gem, but in the emotions tied to them._ Bruce tried not to let the transparency of her love affect him, but he failed. It was clear that she guarded what was of value to her and it was these things that she chose to shield from loss.

Bruce ran his hand over the pearls before settling on the ring. He slipped it on the tip of his right index finger, marveling again at the small diameter of the band. He stood and pushed the heavy door shut with his foot. He stared down at the ring as he walked over to where she lay draped over their pillows and shook his head in disapproval as he sat down beside her. “When I gave this to you, Selina, I expected that it would be kept  _on_  your _finger_  not in _a safe_.” He glanced back at the wall that held the jewels and smirked, “No matter how secure that safe might be.”

Selina remained silent, but Bruce did not miss the contrite look on her face as her hand covered his and they both looked down at the symbol of their commitment to one other. “I couldn’t chance wearing it down in the Bowery. The risk of losing it was too great.” Her eyes never left the stone as she spoke, “I wore it the first few times I went in, even though I knew I shouldn’t.” Her voice sounded almost apologetic as she explained her reasoning, “I didn’t feel right taking it off.” Bruce heard the emotion in her voice, “I tried turning the stone down into my palm, but it still drew attention.”

Bruce looked at her and his lip twitched as he rolled the band between his finger and thumb, “Someone tried to steal it from you then?” He lifted his chin, “How’d that work out for him?”

Selina smirked at him and then yawned before looking back down at the ring, “How do you think?”

He lifted her right hand and slipped it on the third finger, “I suppose this will have to suffice until the swelling goes down and it can be returned to its proper place on your left hand.”

Selina pulled back the comforter and slid back, making room for him, “How about you get back in  _your_  proper place.” That suggestion brought a smile to his face as he slid back under the covers with her, wrapping her in his arms. She slipped her leg over him, pulling him close as she settled into his body.

Bruce held her for a long time, listening to her soft sounds of sleep. He felt her tense and his arms tightened and he whispered in her ear, rousing her from her dream. She woke and squirmed closer to him, he felt her hand run across his chest and her lips kiss his jaw. She murmured that she wanted him and he quickly captured her hand before it could slide lower down his stomach. Her sleepy grumble of disapproval made him smile. It was everything he had to remain reserved and not let her entice him into action. Only the emotion of the evening had kept him from it. Whether she would admit it or not, what had transpired down there had affected her. Selina dropped her hard front for him and she was still fragile, he saw it in her eyes.

He inhaled deeply as his arm wrapped over her shoulder and his eyes roamed the dark expanse of the bedroom. It was moments like this where he feared the rising emotion inside himself. He felt dangerously possessive of her. It was primal and sexist and he was intelligent enough to recognize it for what it was yet he seemed unable to overcome it. Instead, he lay awake vigilant and watchful, calmly holding her while inside he was in turmoil and spoiling for a fight. He could argue that it was not his male pride that was demanding redemption, but that would be a lie. It had taken more out of him than he realized to stand by and watch her take on Waylon Jones alone. His jaw ground and he had to force his arms not to tighten against her as she slept. He almost wished someone would walk through those doors so he could release the emotion trapped inside him.

He forced back thoughts of the other act of male dominance that would offer him a similar release. His blood rushed south and sweat beads gathered at his hairline as his heart hammered against his ribs. He became acutely aware of the soft swell of her breast pressing against his chest.  _Selina Kyle, you have me reduced to a Neanderthal. It’s a good thing that you can’t read my thoughts or you would label me a chauvinistic bastard and likely take it upon yourself to slap the machismo right out of me._

He stroked her hair with a shaky hand as he fought back the terrible need twisting inside. It was a battle, but he knew his mind would eventually prevail over his body because his desire, no matter how great was trumped by his obsessive need to protect this woman he loved. He would not allow himself to act on his desires or even hers until he was sure she was ready.  _I want her to feel safe. If not anywhere else in the world, I want her to feel safe lying beside me...I want her to find the protection she needs in me...her shelter in me._  His chest rose and fell with effort as he forced himself to find his control. He would not allow anything to compromise the vulnerability she showed him tonight. Selina’s trust was a valuable, delicate thing; he worked hard to earn it and he now felt himself guarding it jealously.

Bruce finally felt the tension subsiding in his muscles as he relaxed and settled further into the pillows under his shoulders. For the first time he found himself grateful for his life of discipline and deprivation for it had given him strength, strength to be the man Selina needed him to be tonight. His practiced patience would see him through until she was stronger, more herself.  _Droid mode..._ A smile drifted across his face as he thought of her anger at his refusal to succumb to her feminine wiles. _You have no idea, little girl, what that cost me..._ The dull ache in his gut was a constant reminder of the physical toll. Nevertheless he was intent that his patience would remain in effect and uncompromised until he saw that haunted pain leave her eyes and he was sure that she was with him in the here and now and not caught below the streets of Gotham or worse yet, trapped in the memories of her childhood.

He fell asleep with her breath warm on his neck and his nose in her hair. He forced his own mind away from his own dark places, not allowing himself to delve into the nightmares filled with bats and clowns. He lay suspended between sleep and consciousness until his thoughts turned to Wayne manor and he glimpsed through the window little Meghan running up the drive. He submerged himself in that dream and without a moment’s hesitation he was walking out the front doors of the mansion into the sun of a bright Gotham afternoon...

X

Selina fondled the band with her thumb as she gazed back over her shoulder and smiled at Bruce’s sleeping form. He was on his side undisturbed by her stealthy exit from the bed. She awoke to find herself still in his arms and Bruce sleeping soundly. She had not wanted to move, but she was driven away from his side by thirst and pain.

She pulled the heavy door shut behind her and padded barefoot down the hall toward the stairs. The morning sunrise would soon be finding its way through the endless windows and Wayne manor would fill with light and people.

Selina knew from prior experience that the construction crews arrived at dawn. With the unveiling only a few days away, they were likely to be on time if not early as they strove to meet the imminent deadline. She kept that timeline in mind as she descended the stairs and quickly made her way into the kitchen.

Selina bypassed the primary refrigerators in favor of the larger industrial fridge in the rear. It was stocked with water and PowerAde for the workers, a courtesy she herself benefited from many times. She grabbed a bottle of blue PowerAde and set it on the counter before ducking back and gathering two water bottles. She let the door vacuum shut with a bump from her hip to assist it closed. She set the bottles by the other on the counter and made her way over to a cabinet on the far wall. It was stocked with medicines and she had the beginnings of a headache, not to mention the considerable pain in her wrist. She searched the middle shelf and found a bottle of Advil.

She was contemplating just how she would be removing the lid one handed as the cabinet door shut and she turned to find Bruce standing right beside her. She yelped in surprise; startled she nearly dropped the bottle of pain medicine. Bruce stood there silently, his arms folded over his chest as he watched her regain her composure. “Wayne, I already almost died once tonight are you trying to finish me off with a heart attack?”

Bruce ignored her quip as he unfolded his arms and took the bottle from her hand. He twisted the cap off and shook two capsules into his palm. Selina accepted his offering and popped the tablets into her mouth. She moved to gather up a bottle of water and Bruce intercepted her again, opening it himself before wordlessly handing the cool bottle to her.

Selina chased the chalky pills down her throat drinking a good amount of water before taking a deep breath and finishing off the rest of the bottle. Bruce cracked open the sports drink and left the cap balanced on the bottle so she would not have to struggle to remove the lid. He brushed past her on his way to the refrigerator. Selina felt the intentional touch and gave him a smirk as he moved by.

He walked through the kitchen looking perfectly at ease already; he was still shirtless but now covered at the waist with dark green silk pajama pants. He opened the freezer door and searched the contents before returning with a container of ice cubes in his hand.

He walked to the sink and started filling the basin with water as he dumped the contents of the large container into the steel reservoir. She heard the crack and crackle as the ice chilled the water. Bruce turned back to her and patted the counter beside it with his hand. Selina gave him a knowing look. “Alfred would not likely approve of me sitting on the counters in his kitchen. “

Bruce nodded his agreement, “Alfred would likely not approve of lots of things you have done on kitchen counters.” Selina laughed and was rewarded with a beautiful Bruce Wayne smile. She walked over to him and was stopped before she could jump up onto the perch. He held her at the hips, his hands flexing around her small waist, “Allow me?”

Selina raised a brow, “So now you are asking my permission before attempting to carry me around?”

“I figured it would be easier than having you pissed at me.” His eyes were filled with amusement as he watched her smile coyly. Bruce closed the small distance between them before he lifted her onto the counter. He slid her body slowly up his as he picked her up.

Selina smiled as she slid up his chest, feeling his face trailing along her neck before being gently placed on the counter. When their eyes met, she saw the dark passion in his and she hooked her heels behind his thighs pulling him into her body. Bruce offered no resistance, allowing her to encourage him into the very place he longed to be. He traced a single finger over her cheek and down her neck to her shoulder.

Bruce watched her throat work as she swallowed and he found himself wanting to kiss the soft pulse of her neck. He held back as his finger traced down her arm and passed whisper soft over her injured wrist. He felt her tense as he gathered her hand in his. He guided her into the ice bath feeling her squirm at the initial shock of cold water against her skin.

Then he did kiss that little spot on her throat as his other hand slid behind her and pulled her close into his body. He held her like that for a very long time, enjoying the scent of her, the feel of her skin against his face and the silk robe against his chest. Bruce had withdrawn his hand leaving hers soaking in the ice bath and his hand cold and moist brushed the back of her neck.

Selina let him support her, holding her as the chilled water took away some of the pain and swelling from her wrist. He massaged at her neck and asked her softly, “Headache?”

Selina nodded, “Nothing compared to the ones you get I’m sure.”

Bruce murmured a sympathetic sound of understanding. “If I remember my first aid correctly, I am supposed to cook you noodles and entice you into eating a packet of honey.”

Selina chuckled and gave him a pained smile, “We have been through the ringer a time or two haven’t we, Bruce?”

He nodded his agreement as he caressed her face with his thumb. Selina felt his hand brush over her breast and her breath caught as her nipple hardened obediently under the delicate silk. Bruce groaned softly as he registered her immediate response to his unintentional touch. He stilled himself, waiting as he allowed his lungs only a measure of the breath they suddenly demanded.

She lifted his head with a finger under his chin until their eyes met and he saw the storm of passion in her brown eyes. His thumb found the hardened peak that had tempted him and he rubbed a slow circle around it. He shook his head as if he was disappointed in himself and let out a shuddering breath before he whispered, “Forgive me, Selina,” as he tugged the sash of her robe and it drifted open, “I had hoped to show more self-control than this, kitten...” His voice faded as his hands found her breasts.

 _Forgive him? Really, Bruce, are you even serious?_ Selina let her head drop back to her shoulders and waited for the feel of his lips on her breasts. Her mind drifted back to the metallurgy and their interrupted intimacy, “Bruce...the contractors...”

“I will hear them,” Bruce promised her as he nuzzled under her chin. He was rewarded by her response as she accepted him at his word and arched under him inviting him to take what he wanted. He inhaled deeply through her hair, “You are an enigma my dear. So powerful one moment and then surrendering so completely the next.”

Bruce felt her tense and he shook his head and pressed her against him, “Stop. Don’t over think things.” He kissed her ear, “You are perfect. This...this is...perfect.”

Selina relaxed as he settled himself between her legs. “It is beautiful seeing you like this, open…soft…trusting.” He gripped her thighs and slid her forward surrounding himself with her body. “Can you feel what you do to me Selina?” He ground himself slowly against her, relishing the low groan that his action garnered from her. “I need you so much. There was never a night we were apart that I didn’t fall asleep imagining us together.” He kissed her lightly on the corner of her mouth, “Is this what you want?”

Selina’s eyes glittered as she gave him a slow nod. Her silent approval was like tossing fuel to an already raging fire. “Lay back.” He ground out the order and Selina responded immediately. His hands separated her thighs and he dropped down between her legs. There was no pretense to his action and no apology for the raw desire that was driving him. Selina lay there as his mouth covered her and she heard his low groan as his tongue slipped over her sex. It was a possessive sound that told her that this act of sexual decadence was as much for him as it was for her.

_Bruce has a way about him when he makes love to me and he has a way about him when it is about taking what he needs and he is riding a fine line between the two extremes tonight. He is trying diligently to keep himself in check, trying not to push me too far after the night I had in the Bowery, but he is desperate. I can read it in the set of his shoulders and the clench of his jaw. I know he needs me and I am trying to give myself to him only to be shut down…repeatedly. He is being a stubborn ass like he always is by making us wait and now we are both about to explode on each other... Boy scout_

Selina felt the sharp needles of tears behind her eyes and her breath caught as she fought back the emotion of the moment. It was times like this when Bruce owned her more than she cared to admit. His patient concern when it came to her crushed her defenses and left her feeling even more exposed and vulnerable. _Damn you Bruce..._

Bruce felt the hitch in her breath and his hand stilled on her stomach. She reached for him, covering his hand with hers hoping the wordless encouragement would be enough to reassure him. She felt him shift and he was moving up her body, kissing her stomach and nuzzling her breast gently as he studied her face.

She ran her finger through his hair as she struggled to contain the emotions that raced through her. _Bruce was right. I am shitty at expressing myself and now he is left guessing at what to do._  She swallowed hard and managed out a soft, “I need you...this.” He must have believed her because his eyes softened and he allowed his mouth to find the hardened tip of her nipple and he gently sucked as he massaged her breast.

Selina felt the heat pool in her stomach as she pushed harder into his hand. She felt the light brush of his teeth on her sensitive nipple and she tightened her grip on his dark hair as her legs wrapped around his waist.

Bruce could feel the strumming of her muscles under his hands and he felt the tug of her hand in his hair.  _Alright little girl, I get the message._

As he suckled her breast his hand slipped into the ice bath beside them and captured a cube. Selina watched as his hand moved with slow intensity toward her. He licked the tip of her breast and gently nipped at her as the cube arrived touching its neglected twin. He swirled the ice over her nipple and down the swell of her breast to her abdomen before taking it lower to sooth the burning heat of her sex.

She was silent through it all, but her body betrayed her eagerness as it responded to him without hesitation. As he circled her entrance with the melting cube, she lifted her hips to his touch. He slipped the rapidly melting ice into her and it gave into the intense heat of her body, liquefying and wetting her all the more. He slipped a finger inside her and she gave herself over to him, her knees dropped apart as she offered him everything. He growled as the possessive need welled up in him.  _That’s it baby...mine…you are mine._

He brushed her clit with his thumb. His touch was light and it did not give her enough pressure to satisfy. Her frustrated response to the gentle contact was obvious as her legs shifted restlessly against his thighs and her nails dug into his neck as she urged him on. He shuddered as his body responded to her encouragement and he moved his hand and ground his pelvis into hers, “Are you ready for me?”

Selina fisted her hand into his hair and pulled his head down to hers kissing him hard. She broke away from his lips only long enough to answer, “Stop teasing me, Bruce.” He let her ravish his mouth with her kiss until his restraint was compromised completely.

By the time he broke away he had nearly climbed on the counter in his desperation and that was exactly what she wanted.  _Bruce Wayne with no limits._ Selina nipped his earlobe and the sharp pain elicited an immediate escalation of response. He drew back and forced her thighs apart spreading her to him before sliding down her body and burying his face in her sex again. He was greedy and forceful now, his mouth unrelenting as he drove her passion higher. He took her to the brink and then pulled away.

Selina protested when he stopped, struggling through her haze of passion to face him. He was staring intently down at her panting; his lips glistened from the wetness of her sex. “I want you as desperate as I am, Selina.”

Selina nodded, unable to rasp out her response as she tried to angle her body enough to get what she needed from his touch. “Please, Bruce...please.”

“No kitten. Not like this. Our first time in this house will be in our room...in our bed.”

Her eyes flashed and she smiled as she sat up, cupping him through the thin silk of his pajama bottoms. “The bedroom is a nice idea, Bruce...but I must admit,” she continued to stroke him as she spoke, “I’ve developed an affinity for kitchens.” His eyes squeezed shut and his mouth dropped open as he lost himself in her touch. His biceps flexed and he thrust involuntarily into her palm. Selina gripped him more solidly, giving him the friction she knew he needed.

Bruce did not allow her attention to derail him for long, he pulled himself away with a warning that it was becoming too much. “I’m not going to last if you keep that up.”

Selina growled, “Then let’s go, handsome. You have kept me waiting too long as it is. Besides I don’t want to get started and have Bob the Builder stumbling in here interrupting my good time.” She pulled her numb hand out of the water as Bruce tugged her off the counter and pinned her tightly between his solid body and the cabinets. He kissed her deeply pulling her head back with his hand fisted into her hair. His tongue moved over hers and she tasted the evidence of her own arousal. She wrapped her leg at his thigh and received a smack on her ass. She flinched against him her eyes dilating as she struggled to react.

Bruce growled at her, “I’m not carrying you again independent little witch. Walk on your own.”

Selina shoved him back, landing lightly on her feet. “As you wish,  _Master_  Wayne.” She glowered at him defiantly as she shrugged off her robe. It fluttered to the floor and she got the reaction she wanted. Bruce swore as he grabbed for her. The plan he had to take her on their bed was forgotten as an immediate stab of need demanded he take her right then. A vision of her bent over the counter with his hands fisted in her hair fogged his brain and Selina dipped easily under his arms and pranced out of his reach.

Bruce smiled at her cocky strut and the self-assured smirk on her lips as she walked away from him.  _There she is...there is my powerful, sexy Selina_. He stalked after her, his eyes following the graceful lines of her body as she led him through the manor. He tried to grab her again at the base of the marble stairwell, but she dodged him and all he caught was a glimpse of her white teeth and the feel of her long hair whipping against his chest.

He climbed the stairs, enjoying the view of her bare ass leading him to their chambers. He adjusted himself several times as the journey up became exceedingly more uncomfortable with every sway of her hips.

He rushed her at the last level and she seemed to have anticipated it because she simply turned and let him capture her in his arms. Bruce did not even bother to lift her as she had immediately twined her arms around his neck and her legs were wrapped tight around his waist. He squeezed her bottom and pushed her lower against his straining erection. “I’m going to come so hard for you tonight, Selina.”

His words were setting her on fire and the feel of his body was confirmation that he was in as much a state of need as she. Bruce hit the bedroom door with such force that he sent the heavy wood door booming against the stonewall. Selina laughed as its impact reverberated through the room. Bruce did not bother closing it as he walked them across the room and lowered her onto the bed. She was already sliding his silk bottoms down with the heels of her feet and he assisted by pulling the banded waist over his erection. Bruce took himself in hand, running his cock through the drenched folds of her sex before finding her entrance and pushing inside.

He groaned as her body enveloped him in her warm moist heat. He trembled as he worked himself in, moving side-to-side stretching her so that she could take all of him. He did not let her body’s resistance dissuade him. He pushed harder as the need to bury himself was too great and he could not be gentle any longer, “You are so tight...God it has been too long...too long.” It was an apology of sorts as well as a warning to this woman that he loved that he was losing his grip.

Selina urged him on with a hiss and a demand. He cursed as he grabbed her hips and pushed inside her further. With two hard thrusts, he was as deep as she could take him.

She gasped at the hard invasion, but her soft breathy sound only made him more desperate. He rocked into her taking her past her comfortable limits as he pursued his need to possess her completely. She panted as he found his rhythm rolling his hips and biting at her jaw as he let the animal inside him loose. Their coupling was wild, unrefined, and feral...and it was exactly what they both had needed. Possession and passion. Both his soft words of love and heated words of passion were gone, replaced now by animalistic sounds of need and exertion as they reunited their bodies.

She tried once to gain the advantage, but he denied her keeping her pinned below him as he was driven for dominance. He was tangled in his need and he was well past rational thought and sexual consideration. He panted as he thrust into her and nearly came undone when her words found his ear. Selina promising him that she was his as she moaned out his name. He gave into himself as he slammed into her over and again losing himself in the feeling of her body. He was so consumed in his own passion that he drove her over the edge without realizing.

Selina bucked under him as her body, unable to absorb anymore stimulus, gave into climax. Her body squeezed around him and he was lost. Bruce pushed her hard against the mattress trapping her securely with a hand at the base of her throat and another at her hip trying in vain to stop her from bringing him with her, “Stop. Don’t make me come...Selina.”

She lifted her hips giving him all of her and he felt the firm button of her cervix glide against his sensitive head as her body gripped his, “My God.” Bruce ground out the words as his hand clamped down on her hip and he held himself deep inside her giving into the relentless demand of her body.

She felt the warmth wash into her body as Bruce emptied himself inside her. She watched as his shoulders pulled back under the strain of his orgasm. His hand was like a vice on her hip as he anchored her under him while his body released over and over. He shuddered violently from the force of his climax and when she raised her hand to his face Bruce collapsed against her.

It took him several minutes to recover himself as his chest heaved air into his lungs. He was helpless in those moments and he was grateful to feel Selina holding him tightly against her as he slowly regained his senses. Her fingers stroked through his hair as she murmured words of love and praise against his temple soothing him in his moment of vulnerability. When he finally looked up at her face Selina stopped him from asking if she was all right, they were well beyond such questions in her opinion. She cupped his jaw and kissed him deeply as she wrapped her legs behind his thighs, “Again.” She growled the demand against his mouth.

Bruce felt the smile unfurl across his face and he nipped at her soft lips, “Hell yes, again.”

X

xx

Alfred walked through the halls of the manor, his steps were quick, as he greeted the familiar workers with curt nods. He arrived outside the master bedroom and was just preparing to knock when a young housekeeper emerged from the room.

Startled, she stuttered out the status of the room defensively, “The bedroom is finished, Mr. Pennyworth.” She swung open the door and Alfred walked inside giving the room a courtesy glance. Two additional house cleaners emerged from the bathroom gathering up their supplies. They also affirmed that the master bath was ready to be inspected.

Alfred gave the massive bathroom a once over and nodded his approval. “I trust Master Wayne was not disturbed.”

The elder of the three women spoke up, “Master Wayne and the woman are on the East Veranda I believe, Mr. Pennyworth.”

Alfred looked sharply at the woman, attempting to detect any disrespect. Finding none, he dismissed her etiquette breech, “Going forward you may address the lady in his company as, Ms. Kyle. If she is so inclined to have you address her in another manner it will be at her discretion.” He indicated they were dismissed with a lift of his hand as he directed them on to their next task, “Ready Master Blake’s chambers along with the Tower Suite. Have Mrs. Strawser find me on the Veranda. I wish to speak with her regarding tonight’s dinner menu.”

Alfred walked purposefully off to find Bruce and Selina, hoping inwardly that they had not been disturbed from their chambers by the staff or the missus inadvertently offended by the maids and their unpolished manners. He glanced down and from his position on the stairwell, he identified a familiar face in the foyer, “Master Blake. Welcome back to the manor.”

Blake looked out of his element as he stood off to the side while workers bustled passed. His hands were shoved in the front pockets of his trousers and he seemed to be trying to make himself as small a target as possible. He looked up and Alfred could see that he was grateful to see a familiar face. The butler continued down the stairs and collected the young man, “Follow me Master Blake, the Master and Mistress of the manor are on the Veranda.

The Veranda was down a flight of stairs at the end of a long window filled corridor. Another twisted stone stairway descended to an expansive patio that overlooked the grounds to the East. Blake and Alfred paused on the stairway watching Bruce and Selina from above.

X

“No way am I letting you see the house, Bruce. You have already ruined Gordon’s surprise just by being here. I will be damned if you drag me down with you. So you just stay put.”

Bruce’s eyes narrowed, “You have been prowling the halls here for weeks Selina. You should be the last one to talk about ruining the suspense on the unveiling.”

Selina smirked at him over her shoulder, zipping the jacket of the black wind suit higher, “The house isn’t being given to me, Mr. Wayne.”

“Isn’t it?” Bruce leaned back in the white wicker chair, settling himself against the teal blue cushion as he looked at his fiancée and smiled as he waited for her response. Selina just rolled her eyes and shook her head. Bruce laughed as though her reaction had pleased him as he pulled the newspaper off the table, “Denial. I love that I knew it would be denial that I got out of you.” He ignored her as he made a production of perusing the front page.

Selina shot him a dirty look as she meandered over from her perch on the marble railing. “Pardon me,  _Master_  Wayne. Just because I’m not accustomed to,” she waved her hand around, “all of this excess.”

Bruce looked over the paper at her, “Give the word and I will have it boarded up and you I and Alfred will go live in a tent together on Park Row.”

Selina rolled her eyes and laughed, “You wouldn’t do that.”

Bruce lowered the paper further, “Why not?”

Selina answered as she swung a leg over his and settled uninvited on his lap, “Because Meghan would not approve.”

Bruce chuckled at the mention of the little girl. He shifted and was forced to move his newspaper as Selina invaded his lap and now commanded his full attention. He laid the rumpled paper aside shaking his head, “You know Selina, sometimes you are more catlike than you realize my dear.”

Selina narrowed her eyes at his comment on the invasive claiming of his lap. He tempted fate further by fingering the feline logo stitched across her warm-up. Selina followed the movement of his hand and rolled her eyes, “My closet seems to be filled with Puma gear.”

Bruce chuckled, “You can’t say Alfred doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

Selina fought back a smile, “He’s a regular riot.”

Bruce’s eyes were filled with gentle humor, which warmed Selina to her core. Rather than showing him that response she instead curled her nose, “This cat stuff is getting tiresome, Wayne. Besides, if I were a cat wouldn’t I would be purring right now?”

Bruce let his hands cup her bottom as he settled her against him, “As I recall…I had you purring pretty good last night, kitten. “

Selina chuckled, “Yeah you did, handsome.” Selina sat back on his lap and looked down at him He was freshly showered and dressed in a cranberry knit long sleeve shirt. The crew necked shirt was just enough coverage to ward off the nip in the early morning air. He was supremely casual and completely at ease with himself in worn Levis and bare feet.

Selina herself had chosen a workout suit as she was unwilling to face fastening buttons and buckles one handed. Bruce had already annoyed her by assisting with the zip on the jacket.

She sighed as she looked down at the man before her.  _If you blocked out our surroundings, at this moment we could be any couple in Gotham. Just two people in love sharing an intimate moment before the day begins… before the pressures of the world make him turn back into Bruce Wayne, or the criminals make him pickup the mask. Sitting here…he is just Bruce and he loves me and that is plenty enough to make me a happy woman._

She kissed him lightly on his lips and Bruce returned the gentle press allowing her to deepen the kiss at her leisure. Selina relished the feel of his warm hand sliding up her back and settling on her shoulder as he massaged her sore muscles. She shivered with the pleasure that brought and gave a soft hum of contentment. Bruce grinned against her lips, “That’s what I want to hear little kitten, purr for me.”

Selina growled and Bruce’s deep chuckle had her inside’s liquefying. She drew back and gave him a sly smile, “If you think you are going to seduce me again you have another thing coming, Wayne.”

Bruce sighed, “I would love to spend the day seducing you, but sadly our afternoon is destined for interruption. Alfred will be here soon. I spoke to him earlier. Gordon and Meghan are being invited to join us for dinner. I intend on being given an early tour of the newly renovated Wayne Manor courtesy of the three of you.” Bruce caught the look on Selina’s face even though she tried to cover. “Unless,” He studied her closely, “Unless my fiancée has somewhere else she would rather be tonight?”

Sighing at his word usage Selina was left to confess that she did indeed have other engagements, “Nowhere I would  _rather_  be, but somewhere I in fact,  _need_  to be.”

Bruce’s eyes were cool as he contemplated what she was telling him and likely imagining all the things, she was not telling him. He absently traced the outline of the jumping cat on the front of her jacket, “Something I need to know?”

“Weapons are set to move out of the Bowery tonight. I wanted to be there. See who shows. Follow the goods.” Bruce tensed as his eyes flicked down to her injured arm.

Selina squirmed, “I’m fine, Bruce. I’m not doing anything but reconnaissance tonight anyways.”

He squeezed her hip, “Would you mind my company? I intended to be there tonight myself. Your Detective, Stephens already dropped that little bit of intel to Gordon and Blake and I had planned on running the surveillance ourselves before you went rogue chasing the Killer Croc.”

Selina made a face at him obviously not understanding the reference. Bruce’s eyes twinkled, “You haven’t seen the headlines today have you my dear? You should try reading the newspaper instead of sitting on it, kitten.” He pulled the rumpled paper off the table and flashed the front page at her, “Killer Croc is the name of your nemesis from the tunnels.”

Selina flopped open the paper and read aloud:  _‘ **Killer Croc Meets his Match in Gotham City**.’ In December, it was reported that Gotham’s infamous Catwoman of Bane fame had been killed after the raid against Scarecrow and his minion’s. It now appears that another woman has stepped up to take the mantle of Gotham’s fallen heroine. A woman police described as Amazonian in stature…_

Selina stopped reading at the word Amazonian making a small sound of protest as she rolled her eyes. She tossed the paper aside and began to climb off Bruce’s lap. His laugher stopped her and she glared down at him her eyes narrowing as she considered making him the next headline victim of the Catwoman.

“If  _that_  part bothered you, thank God you stopped reading before you got to where they estimated your weight.” Selina quickly reached for the paper, but Bruce held it away from her. She made a grab for it again and he held it behind him as he caught her with a kiss. She shoved him away and continued unabated after the paper.

Alfred and Blake stood on the patio watching the battle between the two as Bruce was forced to scramble out of his chair by Selina’s determined pursuit, “Give me that paper, Bruce.”

He shook his head at her demand, “I think not kitten. I will however read you some excerpts. “The woman was described as tattooed and muscular. She was masculine in nature and was originally mistaken for a man by the first police arriving on scene _.”_

“Bullshit!” Selina made another grab and Bruce dodged her deftly. Having her down to one appendage was swaying things in Wayne’s favor, but Selina eventually succeeded in backing Bruce against the banister. He held the paper out over the railing continuing to read, “Gotham City’s newest Catwoman fearlessly took the fight to the heavy-weight criminal known as the Killer Croc. Police officers on scene said they were evenly matched as the Cat was obviously fighting well within her weight class. Police witnesses estimated the feline femme fatale at six foot three and over two hundred thirty pounds.”

Selina socked him in the stomach and Bruce groaned out a laugh, lowering his arm in defense of his unprotected abdomen. She snatched the paper and whirled away from him. Bruce wrapped her at the waist holding her captive in his arms chuckling. Mindful of her strike zones he kissed her neck and nuzzled her ear as she scanned over the article for herself. “Liar,” she snapped, “It doesn’t say anything like that, Wayne.”

He smirked into her neck as she smacked him in the head with the folded paper. She made a half-hearted attempt to extract herself from his arms. He did not let her go, and her efforts at escape only succeeded in turning her where they were now face to face. He rested his forehead against hers, “Are you sure it didn’t say even a few of those things?”

Selina’s eyes glinted as she looked up at him, “Are you enjoying yourself, Bats?”

He smiled, “Yes. Immensely.” He kissed the tip of her nose as she glared at him. He noticed movement over her shoulder and he allowed it to distract him for a moment.

Selina slid her hand under his soft thermal shirt and she used her access to pinch the vulnerable skin at his waist, “Am I boring you, Mr. Wayne?”

He flinched at the newest assault from Selina, but his eyes remained fixed behind her, “Not at all, kitten. You are so interesting in fact that you seem to be drawing an audience.” Selina looked over her shoulder and her face broke into a smile. Lifting her injured hand from its position curled against her stomach she waved a greeting to Alfred and Blake.

The men looked at one another and laughed before returning waves of their own. Alfred was in a dark suit and tie with a crisp white shirt; Blake was far more casual in tan Dockers and a chocolate brown button down rolled at the elbows. Selina turned back to discover an equally amused Bruce Wayne. “What is so funny this morning?”

Selina seemed ill at ease with being the source of entertainment for the group. Bruce soothed her, “I think they are enjoying my good humor. I have been a little on edge without you these past few weeks.”

“Months,” Selina corrected, “It’s been months Bruce.” She looked as if she might not let him off the hook without making him pay right then for every moment they had spent apart. Luckily, she relented, “I hope you weren’t too unbearable…for Alfred’s sake anyways.”

Bruce kissed her forehead, “I was insufferable. I admit it.” He rested his chin on her head and sighed, “I will likely still have my moments, but you seem to have a way of handling my moods...keeping me in check.”

Selina smiled up at him as she slipped her hand from his waist up his muscular back, “It’s no trick, handsome. It’s called steady sex. No one can be an unbearable ass when they are getting laid regularly.” Selina gave him a sly side look, “Especially not the way we do it, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce found himself in complete agreement, “I can’t argue that point my dear.” If sex was in fact the key to a positive outlook than they were both destined for a fantastic day. _My only concern now is her wrist._

Spurred on by the flashes of Croc and Selina battling and her repeated requests for pain medicine earlier Bruce had been prompted to ask the nature of her injury. He had been helping her with her jacket when he gave up waiting on her to tell him on her own and finally inquired as to the details. She had answered with a vague explanation that she had twisted her wrist. He had brushed a finger lightly over the darkening bruises on her arm and reminded her about her promise to be honest with him.

She finally admitted that Waylon had gotten to her as she slipped through a separation in the grates in an attempt to escape him. He had twisted her arm as she struggled to keep from being pulled from under the protection of the mesh walkway. Bruce stood there stoically as she recounted the harrowing experience. He finally asked her how she had gotten free and she smiled at him, “I bit him.”

He had fallen more in love with her in that moment as the crooked smile stretched across her face. He shook his head and adjusted her jacket as he kissed her, “A woman taking a bite out of him this time. That is irony at its finest.”

Bruce kissed her again now not caring in the least that Alfred and Blake were witnessing their intimacy. He slipped his hand under her chin and gazed down into her eyes. “I love you, Selina.”

“I love you, Bruce.” Her reply was intense and Bruce adored the openness of her brown eyes, as she seemed to be looking right into his bared soul.

“I love you both, but so help me I will turn each of you over my knee if you are not able to get this situation between yourselves sorted out presently.” Alfred stood behind them with his hands folded over his chest looking the picture of authority. It was a posture that he often employed when ordering about his charges and seemed to be the one he had chosen today as he stood judge over Bruce and Selina.

Selina smiled and accepted the scolding as he hugged her to his chest, “Good to have you back with us again, Ms. Kyle. I trust you will not be taking your leave anytime soon?” The question was to Selina, but Alfred seemed to be waiting for the confirmation from Bruce.

Bruce gave Alfred a deprecating look. Selina smirked at Bruce obviously enjoying the dynamic between the men, “Alfred, I suppose I will be around until the next time Bruce dumps me or sends me packing.”

“Selina.” Bruce’s warning hung in the air, but he stopped himself from scolding her further in Alfred’s presence. Selina knew she had him at a disadvantage and smiled broadly.

Alfred shook his head in mock exasperation, “Or until the next misunderstanding that has you running off half-cocked perhaps?” Selina had the good sense to look properly chastised as Bruce smirked at her over Alfred’s shoulder.

Alfred kissed her temple and patted her back, “Brunch will be served on the veranda presently. I prefer the lot of you remain from underfoot and allow the various workers to move freely through the manor.” He gave Bruce a look and nearly huffed, “It is, after all, nearly four days premature to the scheduled unveiling, so it is not presentable in the least."

Bruce laid a hand on Alfred’s shoulder. “It is more than presentable. From what I have seen of it, Alfred, it is magnificent.”

Alfred gave a small proper bow, “Were I the only one responsible for its transformation I would happily absorb the compliment,” He cleared his throat and nodded at, Selina, “On the behalf of Mr. Geller perhaps we will accept the accolades together, Missus Kyle.”

Selina nodded, “Delighted to, Sir Alfred.”

X

Xxx

They heard Alfred’s voice over the sound of hammering, “No the Monet goes in the landing on the second floor.” He walked past the huge four French doors pointing a pair of young men up and away with small watercolor Monet.

Selina watched in amusement as Alfred orchestrated the final push for perfection within the mansion. Last minute details being pulled off no longer for the master of the manor but for the guests that would grace the halls in his honor.

Blake cleared his throat, “So what do you think of the place, Bruce?”

Bruce shook his head, “I can’t say. Alfred and Selina won’t let me see it.” He grinned at Selina as Alfred again walked by handling several decorators, giving them directions on rug placement before they hurried quickly to perform the bidding of the proper Englishman.

Bruce’s smile deepened, “Alfred is in his glory with an army of servants to command.”

Selina leaned on her elbows watching Bruce watching Alfred.  _Bruce pretending not to be pretentious while Alfred positively basks in it._  ”You two,” She shook her head and smiled as she sipped water from a glass with fresh lemon garnishing the side.

Bruce’s cell phone beeped and he stood as he read the message. “Fox is here. It is time for your x-ray.”

He did not have to tell Selina twice. She sat down her glass and slid over the patio railing before he could say another word. She walked quickly across the lawn holding her injured arm to her chest to minimize the jostling as she moved.

Bruce watched her with amusement as she broke into a trot that carried her down the grassy hill to the drive. Fox had not even brought the vehicle to a stop before Selina was standing at the driver’s door bouncing impatiently on the balls of her feet. Fox only barely managed to get out of the vehicle before his arms were filled with Selina Kyle. He lifted her off the ground and kissed her cheek. His rich, deep baritone voice mingled with Selina’s warm lilting laugh and the sound of their happy reunion reached the veranda and the two men that now stood upon it.

Blake shook his head, “Fox is crazy about her.”

Bruce nodded, “Don’t I know it.” Blake fell silent and Bruce turned his attention to him, “Something on your mind?”

Blake dropped his head, “Gordon called.” His jaw worked, “The final count is in from the coroner. Fourteen women.” He did not seem able to say anything more.

Bruce took a deep breath and forcefully blew it out.  _It could have easily been sixteen..._ He reminded himself that it was not sixteen and that Selina was the only reason in fact that the killings had ended when they did. He focused on her as she and Fox talked. Their unabashed happiness made the conversation he was having with Blake bearable, but only just so. He scrubbed his face with his hands “Fourteen women snatched off the street, and we didn’t even know they were gone.” He dropped his hands to his hips watching intently as Fox inspected Selina’s arm.

Blake’s voice was soft, “Is she ok?”

Bruce nodded, “Sprained wrist most likely. Fox is here to make sure that’s all it is.” Blake dropped his head and Bruce’s eyes narrowed as his attention was directed to his student.  _Alfred said the kid had been down there for most of the night as the crews removed the women. He looked years older from the experience._ It dawned on Bruce then that Blake was likely asking about more than just the state of Selina’s physical health _._ Bruce’s face went blank as he realized he was unwilling to share any of Selina’s experience. “She is a survivor, John. It will take more than the likes of that Louisiana scumbag to get the best of her.”

Blake stood there quietly for a moment before he spoke, “Well I guess she is more of a man than I am then because I still feel like I might throw up.” He turned and dropped onto a patio chair and stared sickly at the plate of food that had been set out for him.

Bruce laid a hand on his shoulder, “Blake,” The young man did not answer, but Bruce knew he was listening, “The mask won’t protect you from the things you are going to be exposed to. You are going to see things...feel things…be a part of things that are very disturbing. They are going to stay with you…some of them for a long time…some of them forever. You will have to find a way through the darkness…find a way of existing in it without letting it consume you.”

Blake rubbed his forehead, “What’s the secret to doing that?”

Bruce Wayne looked down at Blake and then over at Selina as she and Fox talked animatedly, “I don’t know, John. I am still trying to figure that out.” He felt Blake’s eyes on him and he kept his face impassive, he wouldn’t share anything of Selina, but he owed the kid his own experiences. “I think knowing you don’t have to do it alone might be the key.” He patted Blake’s shoulder and sat down beside him, “You have people in this with you Blake. We are here for you, remember that.”

Blake nodded in understanding, but Bruce could tell that he was lost in his emotions. Bruce slipped his hand onto the back of Blake’s neck and squeezed, “You haven’t even had time to grieve the loss of your friend, John.” Tears filled Blake’s eyes as he tried to remain composed. Bruce quietly asked him, “Do you need some time to work through things?”

Blake shook his head, locking down his emotions before he emasculated himself further in front of his mentor, “No, I don’t need time off, Bruce. What I need is to hit something.”

Bruce nodded in understanding, “Go get changed and meet me in the yard in fifteen.” Blake looked up and Bruce inclined his head toward the wide expanse of grass. “We will get a workout in, burn off some energy.” Blake sat there for a moment before glancing over to where Selina stood. Bruce interrupted his thoughts, “She understands what we are doing, Blake. You aren’t taking me away from her.”

Blake nodded and mumbled, “Alright.”

Bruce studied Blake as he walked quickly from the patio, his head down, and shoulders hunched as if he was walking into a stiff wind. Alfred appeared by Bruce’s side and with matching looks of concern they watched the young man depart. Bruce folded his arms over his chest his head lifting ever so slightly as he heard the voices of Fox and Selina again, “Strange to have the house full of people again isn’t it Alfred?”

“You mean having the house filled with a family again?” A smile turned up the edges of Alfred lips, “It has been a long time in coming if you don’t mind my saying, Master Wayne. I am anticipating greatly the arrival of the Commissioner and Miss Meghan this evening. I shall delight in hearing the laugher of a child ring through the halls again.”

Bruce felt his grim mood dissipate at the mention of the Commissioner’s little girl, “Well, I hope for your sake that Meghan approves of the house, Alfred. It might have behooved you to have brought her in as a consultant on the remodel.”

Alfred raised his brow and favored him with a look of superiority, “Well, bully for me then as I happened to do that very thing.”


	9. Chapter 9

Fox and Selina emerged onto the patio as Blake launched his attack. He faked an elbow strike and attempted to land a quick front kick to Bruce’s ribs. Wayne, though distracted by the sudden appearance of his fiancée, was also inspired by it. He ignored the obvious deception in Blake’s attack and countered with a knee block that deflected Blake’s foot to the outside. With blurring speed he pushed off his brace leg and performed the maneuver Blake had just attempted, a front snap kick to his pupil’s abdomen.

Blake was able to brace and absorb the impact, but his responding jab lacked power and Bruce caught him easily in an arm bar. Rather than toss Blake on his back and hold him as he normally would, Bruce spared the young man the abuse in front of his peers. Instead Bruce tugged him off-balance allowing him to understand the consequences of his sloppy counter attack and then released him with a sharp look of rebuke. Blake nodded wordlessly in understanding.

Bruce walked to the patio, brushing the clinging grass from his arms. He nodded over to Fox, “I would shake your hand but,” he shrugged an apology for his current condition. Fox nodded in agreement of suspending their social convention. Bruce’s eyes fell on Selina as she walked over to the railing, “Mr. Fox, how is your patient?” Selina was herself undeterred by his bedraggled condition; she bent over the railing and kissed him. She lingered for a few moments longer than socially proper and Bruce chuckled as she continued to kiss him. He was grateful that Fox had waited to answer his question because he would have never heard his response over the blood roaring in his ears.

Selina finally broke away and glanced over his shoulder, “You ever going to figure out not to telegraph that left jab, Robin?”

Blake smirked as he looked at her arm resting in a sling around her neck, “Speaking of lefts, how’s yours doing, Katniss?”

“Broken,” Selina gave an indifferent shrug.

Blake looked quickly at Bruce. He did not look pleased with the news, but Selina seemed to be taking it in stride. Blake took only a moment longer to realize that Fox, wise man that he is, was standing well clear of the couple’s interaction. 

She adjusted the sling on her neck as she ignored Bruce and focused on Blake, “Fox said it was actually better that it broke. A sprain would have taken longer to heal. The way things are now, I will spend a few weeks in a cast and then be right back in the thick of things.”  Blake did not miss Bruce’s look of displeasure at her comment. Bruce’s annoyance seemed to fuel Selina’s nonchalance. She finally acknowledged the unrest of her significant other with a roll of her eyes, “Calm down big guy. Fox and I are headed out now to have it set. I will be back in a few hours.”

Bruce leveraged over the banister. His legs swung effortlessly over the railing and his arching trajectory landed him standing beside her. “Give me twenty minutes to clean up and I will go with you.”

Selina brushed off his offer along with a tuft of grass that clung to his shoulder, “No dice, handsome. Fox and I are gonna hangout and test the limits on his new sound system.” She gave Blake a smirk over her shoulder, “Besides, from what I just saw the junior B-man needs you worse than I do.” Bruce growled a response at her unsolicited remark on Blake, but his reprimand was smothered against his lips as she kissed him goodbye. He reluctantly relinquished her to the care of his CEO with a demand that he be kept informed of her condition. Selina had just smiled at him over her shoulder and winked as she and Fox disappeared through the patio doors.

Blake leaned over the railing watching Fox and Selina make their exit, “Does Fox know for sure it’s broken?”

Bruce gulped down a glass of water, “I imagine so. He has seen enough broken bones in the past he knows what he is looking for in an X-ray.” Bruce slammed down the rest of his water and returned the tumbler to the glass top table. The cubes rattled in the empty glass as Bruce slung his leg over the railing, “Let’s get back to it.”

x

Feeling the fatigue settling in his muscles, Bruce rolled his shoulders and flexed his hands as he watched his student. The exhaustion on Blake’s face was evident and a small line of blood trickled from his lip. Blake’s shitabaki was soiled from endless rolls into the grass and his hair was soaked with sweat. Bruce knew he must look a similar sight himself. He heaved a breath feeling the dull ache in the muscles of his back and ribs, “You had enough?”

Blake nodded allowing his shoulders to sag as his arms seemed suddenly too heavy to do more than just hang like weights at his sides. The men trudged up to the patio together, blades of grass clinging to their skin. Alfred met them at the railing with water and towels, his disapproval apparent as he surveyed their appearance. “Best you both take a flame to those garments. I will not spare the soap to salvage them.”

Bruce ignored the quip as he accepted the towel and the tumbler of ice water. He leaned on the beautifully sculpted railing and enjoyed the feel of the sun warm on his bare shoulders as sweat ran freely down his back, slipping down his ribs. The thick waistband of his own white karate pant was soaked through from his exertion. He wiped the white towel over his face, vigorously scrubbing at his skin. He was not surprised to see blood and dirt staining the cotton cloth when he finished.  _More fuel for Alfred’s burn pile..._

Blake drained the contents of the glass Alfred offered him and requested a refill from the large water pitcher on the table.

Bruce collected his phone off the ledge and made note of the time. His brows furrowed.  _Four hours._ He scanned his call log. Three missed text messages were on his phone. He was scrolling through them when he heard Fox’s car pulling into the drive. Alfred was already stepping into the house likely setting a course for the arriving pair. Bruce followed Selina’s earlier route walking across the grounds to intercept the arriving vehicle.

Selina stepped out of the passenger’s side wearing sunglasses that Bruce immediately recognized as Fox’s. Something that also leapt to his attention was that she was not in a cast. Her jacket sleeve was still in place and her arm rested in a sling much as it had when she had left four hours prior.  _What the hell._  Bruce stepped up his pace. She said something and Lucius gave her a smile and shook his head. When Fox offered his hand to assist her up the steps to the landing, Selina accepted. Bruce was now close enough to see the pallor of her skin and the pained expression on her face. “Selina,” Bruce called out to her and as she lifted her head, he saw her mask slide into place. Lips that were pressed together in pain seconds before twisted into a forced smile.

Selina straightened her shoulders and her brows lifted as she took in his battered state, “You look like you got rode hard and put up wet, Wayne.”

Bruce ignored her insult and held himself back from telling her that she herself looked like warmed over death. Bruce glanced quickly at Fox “I thought you said it was broken? You took her to see Leslie didn’t you? Why didn’t she cast it?” Bruce fired the questions at his CEO as he leaned in and kissed Selina’s forehead. His hand cupped her chin as he studied her face.

Selina rolled her eyes, “I am standing right here, Wayne, if you have questions that need answering.” She shooed his hands away obviously annoyed with him. “For your information I got something way cooler than a cast.” She slipped the sling past her elbow and pulled up the sleeve of her jacket revealing an apparatus the likes of which Bruce had only seen once before. He had held a model of it in his hands in fact in the boardroom of WE as his medical research division announced its projected FDA release date.

Bruce’s frown deepened as his finger ran over the hard brace and he fixed Fox with a look of disapproval, “What is this, Fox?”

“I am surprised you don’t recognize it, Mr. Wayne. You have sunk enough money into its development, I would have thought you would have been able to identify it straight away.” Fox placed his hands on his hips, as the breeze ruffled the tie over his stomach. Selina held up her arm and rotated it so Bruce could further inspect the space-aged apparatus. It was a fiberglass mesh support, which caged her forearm and hand in a honeycomb like exoskeleton.

Selina grinned as Fox listed off the specs. “This, Mr. Wayne, as you well know, is the latest advancement from Wayne Medical Technologies. It is a three-dimensional, computer generated Cortex cast. The lovely, Ms. Selina Kyle is now officially clinical test subject number 43.”

Selina looked ultimately pleased with the situation, so much so that Bruce was finding it hard to justify his discontent at her having been utilized in the clinical testing. He focused his displeasure away from Selina; “I am not overly thrilled at my fiancée being used in test trials for WE Medical division, Lucius.”

They both knew the reputation of the product so Bruce’s reservations were not based on anything but his overly protective nature. Knowing this Fox gave him a reproachful shake of his head, “Bruce you know better than to even insinuate that I would do anything less than provide the best of care for, Selina.”

Bruce nodded reluctantly, “It figures you two were up to something like this when you just didn’t set it here yourself.”

Selina balked a little at the accusation, Bruce did not miss the look that passed between her and Fox. To Selina’s credit, she did not make Bruce call her out. She cleared her throat, “Fox has taken excellent care of me, Bruce. Thanks for asking by the way. And yes, he could have cast it here, but he wanted to get another opinion on the X-rays.”

Bruce studied her closer as he again addressed his question to Fox, “Another opinion. Why?”

Selina blew out a breath clearly annoyed, “Because I told him about how weird I was feeling last night; the chills and slurred speech. He just wanted to make sure everything checked out.” She glanced at Fox and then back to Bruce.

Fox looked between the two of them before he filled in the blanks for his boss, “After what she told me I suspected there might have been a fat embolism generated from the bone break. I took a chest X-ray and it showed shadowing around her lungs. I needed to be sure we had things under control.”

Selina groaned as she turned to walk up the stairs toward the house, “I thought we discussed this Fox. Gently. You were to break it to him gently.”

Bruce halted her with a hand on her shoulder. “Embolism? What are you telling me, Fox?” He glared down at his fiancée, “More importantly, what are you trying  _not_  to tell me, Selina?”

Bruce looked tense and agitated and Selina had to accept that his paranoia was not unfounded.  _I have deceived him and manipulated him enough that he is bound to question if I am being truthful now, especially concerning my health._ Selina dropped her head, “Just what he said, Bruce. Firstly…I’m fine.” Her hand was in his now and she squeezed it reassuringly as they both stared down at her injured arm resting innocently across her stomach. “The bone is set and I am fine.” She cocked her head looking up at him. Not finding what she wanted in his eyes she sighed and raised her voice, “Fox, tell him that it is the truth. I can tell he doesn’t believe me.”

Fox gave her a wary look that said his bedside manner did not consist of sugar coating things. “She will be fine, Bruce, but there was bone marrow leaking into her blood stream and it did cause an embolism. She had a shock response and acute central nervous system disruption.” Bruce’s head snapped to the side and his eyes pierced into Lucius. Fox raised his hands in defense as he clarified the medical jargon “The free-floating marrow in her blood caused her confusion and altered consciousness.” He paused for a moment before he told him the truth of it all, “She was lucky it didn’t affect her health further. Bruce, it could have easily resulted in respiratory distress. “

Selina shook her head, “Ok, you can stop helping me now, Lucius.”

The concern was evident in Bruce’s eyes as he searched her face, “I should have taken you right to the hosp—”

“Don’t.” She cut his apology off cleanly with her sharp command and a tug of his hand, “Just…don’t.” She took a breath and let it out in a controlled sigh, “You took care of me the way I needed you to, Bruce. If you hadn’t pulled me out of the sewer I would have probably drowned in the rain runoff.” She leveled her gaze at him, “I was losing consciousness when you found me, Bruce. Fox thinks when you helped me up that you might have actually slipped the bone back into place enough to slow the release of marrow.” Selina squeezed his hand; her brown eyes were earnest and imploring as she spoke, “Bruce, you saved my ass. Again. So, thank you.”

Bruce looked down at her hand holding his and his thumb pressed gently against the engagement ring, “I knew something was wrong, Selina. You were not yourself. I thought it was just the cold…shock from everything you had just been through.” He looked shaken by the realization that she had been hurt more than he realized.

She sighed, “A lot of it was exactly that, Bruce. I was shook up and I didn’t know what the hell was going on and you pulled me out of there and took care of me and now Fox hooked me up and I’m fine. I am standing here and I’m  _fine.”_ She quirked a smile _, “_ I could use a painkiller, but other than  _that_  I am great.”

Bruce lifted his hand to her cheek and his brow furrowed, “You feel warm.” He moved his palm to her brow and his lips pressed together as he glanced over his shoulder at “Fox, she has a temperature.”

Fox motioned to the door where Alfred stood waiting, “Let’s get her inside. Leslie had to reset the break and the shot she gave is probably wearing off.”

Selina nodded that Fox’s assessment was correct, “Yes, Fox. It damn sure has.”

Fox answered Bruce’s next question before it came, “Leslie recommended Tylenol with Codeine for the pain. There is some stocked here in the infirmary. It should help bring down her temperature as well.”

Alfred held the door as Selina gave him a tired smile, “Thanks Alfred.” He nodded and followed worriedly behind them until Fox pulled him aside and they went together to secure what he needed for Selina. Blake entered the hall through the French doors with a towel slung over his shoulders. He glanced down at her arm and Selina gave him a smirk, “Badass cast huh?”

Blake snorted a laugh, as he assessed the slick, porous honeycomb design of the cast, “It’s going to be hard for me to sign my name on that one, Katniss.”

His comment drew a chuckle out of her, “Like I would have let you anyway.” She gave him an appraising look, “Judging from the way you look Robin, Bruce might just have you outfitted for a cast of your own pretty soon. We’ll get you one of the old-fashioned ones that you have to put a bread bag over to take showers.”

Blake snorted a laugh and acknowledged his roughened appearance with a crooked smile, “None of those for me, Katniss. Unlike you, I’m unbreakable.”

Selina rolled her eyes, “It’s amazing you are able to talk such a good game through that split lip of yours, Robin.” Bruce stepped in between them, his look silencing Blake’s retort as he guided Selina up the stairs. She was oblivious to his intervention as she looked over her shoulder, “I’m going to catch a nap grasshopper, and when I wake up we can go a couple of rounds and find out just how unbreakable you really are.”

Blake held the ends of the towel around his neck as he watched Bruce and Selina ascend the stairs.  _You have your hands full with that one, Wayne..._

_Xxx_

Bruce opened the door to their bedroom and had to restrain himself from assisting her through it. Twice on the stairs, she had reminded him it was her arm and not her leg that was injured. He had accepted the reprimand, but as she made her way to the bed, he was still invading her space. She gave him a look that told him that while she understood his concern she would not be tolerating much more of his hovering.

Bruce stood back as she pulled back the bedcover and kicked off her sandals. She sat down on the side of the bed and looked at him expectantly. Bruce knelt down in front of her, “Alfred and Fox will be here in a few, I am going to catch a quick shower.” She nodded and gave him a light kiss on his lips. He hesitated for a brief moment and then felt her hand grasp his chin.

“Stop it.” He looked as if he was going to respond, but her hard look silenced him. “Now you need to follow your own advice, Bruce. Don’t over think things. Just. Don’t.” Her eyes softened, “And don’t feel guilty because of this.” She lifted her arm a fraction before returning it to her stomach.

“I shouldn’t have lost my control. You were serio—”

Selina interrupted, “Honestly, Bruce I just don’t think I will be able to take it if you say you regret being with me...” Her voice trailed off and Bruce held himself quiet as he watched her struggle with her emotions. “It’s hard for me Bruce.” Her leg started to bounce as the anxiety in her demanded a release, “It’s hard for me to admit that I need you the way I do… and when I see that it isn’t that way for you...I just—”

Bruce moved his hand resting it on her knee to still her nervous movement. His grip was firmer than was comfortable and it gave Selina an idea of the emotion that was obviously lurking beneath his calm exterior. When he did not speak immediately, Selina had to force herself not to squirm under his heavy hand, “Bruce?” His head jerked to the side as if his name had been a slap that landed against his face. She watched silently as his chest rose and fell with the force of his breaths. She could not help but reach for him. His hand flashed up and captured her wrist with a grip as unforgiving as iron.

Bruce lifted his head and she saw an angry pain in his eyes. His lips separated as if he was going to speak but the words did not come. He smiled ruefully and a choked laugh escaped. He shook his head as he released her hand. He stood and looked down at her for a long moment before he combed a hand through his sweat soaked hair, “Selina, don’t ever say something like that to me again. Don’t presume to tell me how I feel or the degree to which I feel it.”

Her eyes hardened as she met his icy stare with defiance, “I know that you are the Batman and everyone is just supposed to cower down in your awesome presence, but this between us can’t be that way Bruce. Can you not at least pretend to think of me as your equal?”

Bruce’s jaw clenched, “Equal? You think you are my equal, Selina?” He shook his head and when he moved to grasp her shoulders Selina flinched. Bruce did not miss a reaction. He eased up on his grip and took a breath to center himself. “Does what we have feel equal to you, Selina?” His eyes pierced her as she squirmed despite her command to her body to remain still. Bruce kept his hands from gripping harder and instead caressed her arms lightly with his thumbs. “There is nothing equal about this Selina. You are...everything.” He lost the battle with himself and his hands tightened and he shook her as his next word exploded out of him, “ _Everything._ ”He dropped down to his knee and his eyes searched her, “How can you not understand that, Selina?” He lowered his head as his hands slipped down from her arms and circled her waist tightly. His voice was a hoarse whisper, “I can’t lose you. How can you not get that?”

Selina threaded her fingers through his hair, “Don’t do this Bruce. Please. I am right here and I’m not going anywhere.”

His head rested on her chest, “What more could I ever do to make you understand what you are to me?” Bruce shifted and he was kissing her. She pulled him closer with a hand fisted in his hair. He slipped his hand under her jaw and tilted back her head, his mouth sliding over hers taking what he needed, his lips possessive and claiming. When he finally broke away he felt her pliant and yielding under his hands, “You need to understand something, Selina, I can’t change who I am or how I feel about you. Or that I am disappointed in myself...disappointed for not seeing how hurt you were. ..For pressuring you to—”

Selina felt her spine stiffen as she held herself back from over reacting, “You have a chance to not finish that sentence, Bruce.” Her eyes were threatening and her hand was centered in his chest holding him at bay. She swallowed hard, “Don’t. Before we get into this for real.”

They glared at one another for several long seconds before hearing Fox and Alfred approaching outside the door. He jerked her to him and kissed her again hard before they arrived. He ignored the painful nip she gave him as he pulled away. “Never question my love for you again, Selina.” He squeezed her hip possessively as his fist tightened in her hair, “It’s a waste of your time kitten, and it pisses me off.” Selina favored him with a smoldering look as he stood and she felt the very real evidence of his passion as he brushed against her inner thigh. Her face flushed and she looked guiltily over her shoulder as the door opened. Bruce saw the color tint her cheeks and he growled at her unexpected display of innocence, “Mal fille, I tell you...loving you is a sweet damn torture.”

X

Xx

Selina watched the door shut behind Fox and Alfred. The blinds had been closed and the codeine she had taken was wrapping her in a cocoon of grey that fuzzed the edges of her vision. She roused when the door to the bathroom opened and a cloud of steam puffed through into the bedroom. The smell of evergreen and tea tree preceded Bruce as he walked toward the bed. She lifted her head off the pillow and managed a soft wolf whistle. Bruce smiled at her crass compliment crossing the room with only a burgundy towel slung low around his waist. Selina’s smile looped across her face, “What’s with the towel, you putting on airs now Wayne?”

He snorted a laugh, as he dropped the offending garment and climbed into bed beside her, “You are stoned.” He made the observation with a sympathetic shake of his head.

She shut her eyes in blissful contentment, “Don’t judge me Wayne. Just because I don’t have your super human tolerance for pain and iron will against sex.”

Bruce growled at her words, as their previous disagreement was unearthed and thrown immediately in his face, “What about now? You are drugged and defenseless, shall I be the kind of man that takes advantage of your current state?” he slid his hands under the thin white material of her tank top pulling it over her stomach exposing her white lace panties.

Selina slid her leg against his and grinned, “You could slow screw me into the mattress and I would ask you to stop only long enough for me to sign your thank you card.”

Bruce chuckled, as his dark mood dissipated, “Or you would just fall asleep before we even got started.” He took in her relaxed face and smiled softly down at her, “You are completely out of it, kitten.” Selina just nodded as Bruce ruffled her hair, “I take it your pain has been effectively managed?”

She snorted a laugh, “I’d say that is correct, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce propped on his elbow looking down on her as she rolled over toward him lying on her stomach. She curled her arm under her pillow as the other rested caged by her side. Bruce rubbed her shoulders and her smile spread sleepily across her face. Bruce sighed, “You have taken such good care of me, Selina; my migraines, the surgery in Europe. Every day you were there for me when I needed you. I just want to do the same for you.”

Selina’s eyes were heavy and her lids lifted only halfway as she looked at him, “It’s not a contest of who loves who more.” She lifted her head slightly off her pillow, “Wait. Is it who or whom?”

Bruce laughed, “Go to sleep, Selina. Meghan will be here soon and you will need all the strength you can muster.”

He ran his finger along her spine gently stroking the soft band of skin exposed at the hem of her shirt. Her voice was only a murmur, “You don’t always have to be a so cautious with me Bruce. You can just ask me if I can handle it and skip all of the sex deprivation torture you put us through.”

Bruce nodded as his hand gently squeezed the globe of her buttocks, “If you weren’t such a convincing liar I could do that kitten.”

He watched for her reaction and was not surprised when her smile cracked wider and she rolled her eyes. “Touché,” She rolled over and pulled him down kissing his lips softly, “I would like it if in the future you would just take what you want from me and not feel the need to handle me like unstable chemicals.” Bruce studied her face and his voice caught in his throat as he started to speak, Selina’s head cocked and her eyes lost some of the sleepy haze that had clouded them. “What is it, Bruce? Tell me.”

His eyes dropped to her throat so he could watch her pulse and attempt to gauge her reaction to his words.

“Please.” Her soft request reached him and he sighed, as he allowed his arms to gather her closer. He nodded and she understood that he needed a moment. She twisted her finger gently against the lengthening hair at his temple while she waited for him to speak.

“You want me to take what I want from you Selina, but I’m afraid of what that would make me to you. I’m not going to be a man that uses you for my own satisfaction.” His hand tightened on her hip and she stilled as she waited for his face to lift and his eyes to meet hers.

“Is that how you see this Bruce? Like by having sex with me you are advantaging yourself over me?”

He shook his head, “No, and it’s important to me to know that it’s not what you are seeing or feeling either.” He lowered his eyelids, but not before Selina saw the apprehension in his eyes, “I don’t want to lose you.”

She pulled him close, “Bruce, I’m going to say this one time, and I really expect you to listen.” She curled her arm around his neck and pulled him against her tightly, “I appreciate the care and patience you have shown me, it made all the difference in how I am able to be with you now.” She kissed his cheek, “But you don’t have to walk on egg shells around me Bruce and you don’t have to keep working to earn my trust.” She squeezed her arm around his shoulders, “You have it Bruce. You have me.” She nudged his cheek with her nose, “Understand that I am yours, Bruce. I  _want_  you to take your pleasure from me.” She tugged his hair and he obediently lifted his head, “When I say yes, Bruce then understand  _I want you_. You are not taking advantage, you are satisfying your mate.”

Bruce felt his heart charge at her words.  _Satisfying your mate…_  His jaw clenched and he felt the slippery twist of possession tighten in his chest. He shivered as Selina’s nails scraped against his scalp and he felt the blood heating under his skin. Reveling in his own primal reactions he almost missed her next words, “You have to trust me, Bruce. When I say I’m a go…I’m a go.”

Bruce exhaled a breath and offered his only defense, “Selina, you have been half-dead and still said go.”

Selina nodded, the loose smile back on her face as her eyes roamed over his lips, “Yes I have. What can I say? You just do it for me handsome. I won’t apologize for asking for what I need and now that you have been forewarned I will be expecting you to put out for me no matter the circumstances.” Bruce shook his head in frustration, but let her pull him down for another kiss. He was surprised when she whispered against his lips, “Remember that time in the hospital, Wayne. I swung that for you didn’t I? I never felt guilty about it either, did I? I knew you wanted me and I made it happen for you because it’s what you wanted, what you needed.”

Bruce nodded his understanding, “I get it kitten. Just bear with me. I’m new at this. I’m going to make mistakes.”

Selina swallowed and stroked his cheek before she kissed him, “I’m new at this too. You are the only man I have ever loved, Bruce. I don’t know if I am even doing it right.”

He kissed her again, “I promise, you are doing all the right  _things_  all the right  _ways_ , Selina.” They both laughed and the previous tension between them was forgotten. Despite having received her absolution, Bruce was grateful when she sleepily settled against him with no further sexual overtures. Spared from further moral debate Bruce contented himself with the touch of her skin on his and the security of her heart beating against his chest.

His body was fatigued from hours of training with Blake, but his mind was active in the quiet dark of the room. He was looking forward to tonight more than he had anything in a long while.  _Sharing the unveiling of Wayne Manor with my closest companions... not having to manufacture a facade and perform room by room as I am reintroduced to my family home. I am grateful they are doing it this way otherwise I would have walked the entire property prior to the unveiling, preparing myself for the event and strategizing my responses._

Selina began to turn and Bruce’s arm tightened gently around her waist holding her firmly against him. _You said to take what I need from you little girl. This is what I need. I need to feel you._  Her leg slid up his and she settled closer, a soft sound of contentment murmured against his throat. The warmth of her body against him and the rhythmic beating of her heart lulled him. His hand on her hip squeezed gently as he shoved his other hand under the pillow behind his head. His eyes blinked slowly shut and he allowed his mind to drift.

_X_

_Xxx_

Gordon and Meghan arrived promptly at 6:30. Alfred allowed the door to chime before he opened the grand foyer to the two guests. Meghan stepped through with her arms held up to Alfred, her intention was to be held not relieved of her little black puff vest. Alfred managed both as he lifted her into his arms and slipped off the garment. She hugged him and the walls rang with her happy cheer, “Sir Alfred, I’m back again.”

“Indeed you are little miss,” he nodded a greeting and accepted a handshake from Gordon after the Police commissioner relieved him of her jacket. Gordon waved off the offer of assistance from the proper butler.

“I’ll hang it, Mr. Pennyworth. You seem to have your hands full at the moment.”

Alfred chuckled, “I can only imagine that I will be the first of many that you can say that of this evening. We have all looked forward to seeing you and Miss Meghan again."

Gordon hung the vest with the care he knew Alfred would demand so the process would not have to be corrected later by the demanding butler. Gordon was dressed in a tan blazer and dark wash jeans. He slipped his glasses up on his nose as he hooked his hands into the back pockets of his denim pants. “I must say, Mr. Pennyworth, given the surroundings I feel incredibly underdressed.”

Alfred smiled as he looked at Meghan in her little cotton knit dress. It had bright yellow stripes over blue with cap sleeves and a bow waist. Alfred complimented her from her hair ties all the way to her canary colored Mary Jane’s. Meghan blushed and kicked her feet as they both admired her yellow shoes.

Gordon smiled tolerantly at his daughter’s coquettish behavior knowing all the while the supreme struggle he had just endured to get her to take off her hello kitty pajamas and agree to wear the blue tights she was now proudly showing Alfred. He had at one point considered wrapping her in her robe and bringing her to Selina to handle as the woman always had a way of getting Meghan to do anything she wanted without argument. The commissioner relaxed visibly when Blake walked into the foyer clad in denim and with a simple black long sleeve button down. Blake greeted his former boss with a smile and looked more at ease himself than he had all day. Alfred noted the change in the young man as he released Meghan and she stampeded her way over to greet him.

Blake swept her up and she giggled as she hugged his neck. Blake seemed pleased with the loud ‘Uncle John’ that greeted him and he hugged her tightly to his chest.

Meghan and Blake had connected well at the Christmas party and had seen each other several times since. She seemed increasingly at ease with the young man, her shyness fading as she grew more comfortable with every interaction. The commissioner had been over at the penthouse on many occasions and now that the news of the mansion had broken Blake finally understood the visits. He had assumed before they were social calls.

He would appear from training and the Commissioner and Alfred would be having tea with Meghan coloring or playing ball with Ace. Often she would run up to him and hug him but on just as many occasions she would inform him that he was too sweaty for hugs and he would have to settle for a high five instead. She would ask where his various boo boos had come from and he would answer all of her questions with the patience of Job. She would often have a snack with Blake while he purposefully devoured his lunch. Blake was content to entertain the little girl encouraging her to drink through Bruce’s chocolate milk reserves and assisted her in decimating Alfred’s supply of fresh baked cookies.

Blake told her she looked lovely tonight and asked her dramatically again to be his girlfriend. Meghan giggled uncontrollably as she shook her head no. Blake frowned comically and demanded to know why and Meghan informed him bluntly that she was Sigmund’s girl. Blake immediately complained, “No way. Are we going to have to duel for you again?”

Meghan cackled and nodded her head vigorously as she clapped her hands. The Christmas party had deteriorated at one point into a competition between the two men for Miss Meghan’s attention. Sigmund had escalated the skirmish to an outright duel as he donned a helmet from the armor set in the hall of the penthouse, demanding Blake  _‘defend her honor or step down sir.’_ Sigmund's heavy English accent had played in his favor as Meghan seemed enthralled by him. Blake had drawn himself up and collected the shield from the statue holding it in front of him as Meghan was reduced to squeals of delight as they mock battled. Blake laughed now at her reaction just at the mention of the duel.  _I hope this house has an armor set I will redeem myself..._

Gordon watched as Selina and Bruce made their way down the stairs. Both were dressed casually in jeans, Wayne’s a distressed charcoal and Selina’s a faded blue. She looked effortlessly beautiful in a pink off the shoulder peasant top with her hair loose and wavy around her shoulders. Bruce was slightly more formal wearing a black single breasted cotton blazer over a crisp white button down. Gordon felt the rest of his nervousness dissipate as he reminded himself who the people actually were that resided in this intimidating house. He looked at Wayne’s white shirt and then glanced over at his little girl and shook his head remembering the last time Wayne wore white around little Meghan. He made a mental note to try and contain her better after dinner and preserve the appearance of his hosts.

Bruce and Selina descended the stairway together making it all the way down without Meghan registering their presence. Selina snuck up behind the little girl as Blake continued to distract her. Selina wrapped her hand around the young girls head covering her eyes and Meghan sucked in a quick excited breath as Selina whispered “Guess who?”

Meghan pulled her hand away and yelled, “You, that’s who!”

Blake had to give up the girl as she immediate dove into Selina’s arms. He supported her until he was sure Selina had her. Being down to one arm with an excited, Meghan was a handful. Selina supported the little girl with her good arm under her bottom, but Meghan was truly doing most of the work as she clung to Selina’s neck.

Bruce and Gordon greeted one another as Alfred encouraged the group into the adjoining den. Meghan threaded her hands through Selina’s hair as she told her how much she had missed her and that she liked her pretty pink top. Selina told her that she had missed her more and an argument of degrees ensued. Meghan finally saw Bruce and she gave him a bright smile, “I am having dinner at your house this time, Uncle Bruce.”

He smiled at her reference to his impromptu stop over when he was searching for Selina. He walked up beside Selina, one arm circling her waist the other stroking Meghan’s hair as he kissed her forehead. Selina held the squirming little girl as best she could. Bruce met her happy eyes with a knowing look, “Want me to take her?” Selina nodded and he slipped his hands around Meghan’s waist, “Come here, sunshine.” He lifted her easily into his arms and balanced her in the crook of his elbow. Her arm immediately slung around his neck and she kissed his temple.

Both Bruce and Meghan seemed supremely satisfied that it would be he that escorted her through the house. Selina utilized her newfound freedom to greet Gordon. He kissed her cheek and then held her at arm’s length as he looked down at her injured arm, “What’s that about?”

Bruce looked over sharply and Selina shifted, suddenly uncomfortable with the attention, “Just a little memento from last night.” Gordon’s concern was not lost on her and she soothed him with a smile as she hooked her right arm through his, “I’m fine, Jim. Don’t worry over it or you will start Bruce’s brooding all over again. “

Gordon slipped his hand over hers and squeezed, “You’re sure?”

Selina nodded trying to ignore Bruce as he hovered close with Meghan still held in his arms. She felt his eyes on her and finally acknowledge him with a quick glance. He looked more like the Batman then than he ever had wearing the gear. His broad shoulders were squared and his jaw set firm; the seriousness of his eyes told her that he was in full over-protect mode. Selina felt a pang in her heart as she watched him holding Meghan and something slid into place for her. She understood then what it must be like for him, the obligation of loving someone put on a man like Bruce. A man that had so many people that he loved stripped from him over the course of his life. Selina swallowed hard and looked away hoping he had not read into her expression.

Bruce continued to watch Selina as he spoke to the little girl in his arms, “So Miss Meghan, I have to know. Does this qualify as a house? I have a real yard now as you can see.” They stood in the den that overlooked the grounds to the south of the property. The wide expanse of manicured lawn went on for nearly half an acre before it gave into a heavily wooded oak grove.

She nodded her head excitedly, “It’s a great big yard, Uncle Bruce and a real big house too! Sir Alfred even did a room for me and daddy for when we come visit.”

Bruce felt some of the tension he was feeling unwind as he returned a smile to the little girl, “I can’t wait to see it, Meghan. Will you show it to me?”

Meghan looked unsure of herself as she picked at the collar of his shirt, “This place is big like the museum. I might get lost by myself,” she admitted.”

Don’t worry. I get lost in it too Meghan,” Blake confessed. He looked at Gordon and grinned, “Seriously, I had to ask the maids twice today where they kept hiding my room.” The men shared a laugh and Meghan seemed pleased that she was not the only one lost in the enormous house. Alfred reappeared with refreshments for the group. Bruce allowed Meghan down and she helped herself to chocolate milk and a mozzarella cheese stick that Alfred thoughtfully included on the menu for her enjoyment.

The group walked the lower level of the manor together. Room by room they inspected the remodel. Every room had some alteration to it since Bruce last resided here. Most of the furnishings were sold to settle his estate and according to Alfred, the renovations by the boys’ home had utilized many of the common areas as studies or day rooms for the children. Alfred informed the group of the origins of the new furnishings and spoke to the colors of the walls and the stain utilized on the moldings and floor. He was quick to identify the contributions of Sigmund and Selina and there were many just in the first few rooms.

Bruce gave her a small nod as she and Gordon walked past and on to the next destination, which was the caterer’s kitchen. Bruce touched Alfred’s arm and looked toward the windows of the retreat. “Those remind me of the ones mother had in here.”

Alfred nodded, and gave Bruce a pat on his shoulder, “Your missus got into the old photos of the manor. The ones that were taken by the Gotham times shortly after you were born. She was quite a thorn in the side of the archivist there let me tell you. He ran her about as she tried to get copies of the old photographs. Ms. Kyle finally took matters into her own hands, went in after hours and collected them herself.” Alfred cleared his throat and shook his head as if he disapproved of her methods, but the amusement was obvious in his eyes. “She made copies and returned the originals straight away. I saw to that myself.”

Bruce chuckled and shook his head.  _Selina, what am I going to do with you..._

Alfred continued on, “The photos were black and white of course, but she had me look at fabric swatches for hours until we found the right colors.” He looked around the room, “I hope my memories served me and they are as they once were, Master Bruce. She wanted the room to be as your mother intended it. I mentioned to her that this had been her retreat.”

Bruce shook his head, “It seems spot on to me, Alfred.” Bruce walked further into the room running his hand over the table in front of the window. A decorative tea service was set out on light yellow lace doilies. He felt his throat getting tight. “This was always mother’s favorite place to gather with her friends. I remember her taking tea right here in front of this window. “

Alfred nodded in agreement with the memory, “Every Wednesday afternoon in fact, master Bruce.” 

Bruce smiled as he folded his arms over his chest, “She said they always insisted to meet here because you were the only person in Gotham that set a decent tea.” Bruce glanced over and Alfred, smiling as his butler preened over the compliment.

Alfred straightened the sleeves of his dark jacket with an air of superiority, “But of course, Master Wayne.”

X

After seeing the retreat, Bruce’s reactions seemed more veiled. Selina and Alfred shared occasional glances with one another as they tried to determine if he approved of the changes. Selina was especially concerned with the ones that had dramatically altered the original design of the house. One of the biggest undertakings was the gymnasium. It had been dated and dark and Selina had come up with the suggestion of turning it into a dojo. Alfred had supported her idea entirely but as they approached, the entrance Selina was nearly sick with worry.

Blake lead the way intrigued by the entrance, a sliding wooden frame with paper panels. Japanese characters were on the left and Chinese on the right. Bruce raised his hand and stopped Blake before he slid them open. His eyes drifted over the characters as he tried to decipher the meaning. Finding the Chinese translation easier he began there, “Fear is the enemy of my enemies.” He looked to the other side his lips moving soundlessly as he worked out the translation, “Fear exists in the night,” he shook his head and his brows furrowed as he concentrated, “Fear  _is_  the night. I...am...the night.” He paused for a moment and then nodded to Blake. The young man slid open the doors and they walked inside.

The room was enormous. Wood floors stretched across the endless expanse of space. A padded grappling mat was the only break in the calm uniformity of the room. On the wall to the right of the door were swords, throwing stars, bolos, and rattan sticks, to the left batons, daggers, long staffs, and bows. All of the weapons were reverently placed and backlit by soft lighting diffused through rice paper. The effect was dangerously beautiful. The entire space seemed to create a calm that was nearly hypnotic.

Bruce had to force his eyes away from the armory to take in the rest of the room. To the untrained, the dojo would seem barren, but he was neither the untrained nor the uninitiated. His eyes were immediately drawn to the grooves in the floor where wooden strike paddles could be erected. Small holes staged throughout that would eventually hold graduated balancing obstacles. He turned a slow circle as his eyes raised and he observed the rustic hooks mounted along the dark wood beams that framed the ceiling. They looked like nothing more than decorative accents but actually were anchors driven into the ceiling beams easily capable of supporting hundreds of pounds of men and gear. The room was perfect for suspension work. It was everything they needed for training.

The entire north wall of the room was sliding panels of glass framed neatly in wood. Their look extended the oriental flow of the room allowing for a spectacular view of the garden. The intended effect of the room was achieved immediately on all of them. It was clean and without distraction, a place of consistency without emotion of its own, it was beautiful simplicity. It was a place of learning and discipline, it was Zen.

Blake walked to the center of the room and did a slow spin, he felt like he had stepped back ages into ancient Japan. “Bruce…this is…”

“Beyond anything I could have ever anticipated.” Bruce finished the sentence for Blake and the younger man nodded his agreement. Blake stepped up beside him and they shared a look with one another before Blake’s face broke into a smile, “I can’t wait for Master Yamashita to see this. He will think he has returned home to Okinawa.”

Bruce nodded as he walked across the wooden floor and opened the sliding door onto the patio. The smell of cherry blossoms filled the room as a light breeze drifted in from the garden. His eyes flicked over the manicured junipers and graceful Japanese maples, influences from the orient were flawlessly integrated into the peaceful landscape.

Meghan made her way past him running to the edge of a still pond. She went immediately to her knees looking at her reflection in the dark water. Like ghosts, butterfly koi began swimming up from the inky depths. They fanned out in front her, their fins billowing silently in the tranquil water. “Fishes,” she whispered. She looked over her shoulder urgently, needing a witness to share her discovery. Selina crouched beside her as they both looked into the water at the dazzling display of color on the exotic fish. A beautiful gold koi dominated the display with the rich depth of his color and the white pearling at the tips of his fins. “What are their names?” Meghan asked, quietly transfixed by their colorful display.

Selina brushed her blonde hair back over her shoulder as Meghan leaned closer to the surface of the water. “I don’t think they have names yet,” Selina paused knowing Meghan would quickly remedy the deficiency.

Meghan looked up at her and her eyebrows scrunched together “What are good fish names?”

Gordon shook his head and nudged Blake, “I have twenty dollars on Nemo and Dory.” Blake wisely declined to bet, as those were the first names given to Meghan’s new pets.

Alfred had knelt down beside them as Meghan was diligently naming each fish. He told her that there was a big black koi that lived in the pool. He said that in Japan they believed solid black koi were good fortune. He warned her that this particular fish was very shy liking to hide in the darkest shadows of the pool, rarely coming to the surface. Selina and Alfred had both laughed when Meghan named him Batman.

Bruce had been leaning against the railing of a wooden bridge that arched across the large pond and he laughed as he heard his alter’s name. Selina’s smile was dazzling as she looked up at him, her right arm curled around Meghan’s stomach as the little girl leaned out over the water searching intently for the Batman.

Selina encouraged her, “You have to look hard Meg, the Bat is notoriously hard to find.”

Meghan searched the dark water even as Selina’s eyes remained fixed on the man on the bridge. Bruce held her gaze as his fingers clasped together loosely. “I can’t find him Selina.” Meghan sounded defeated even though she continued to search.

Selina held her steady as she offered her advice, “Maybe you just have to be patient and let him come and find you.”

Meghan accepted that advice with a disappointed frown, “Can we come back later and look some more?”

Selina shrugged, “We still have a lot more house to see and Alfred’s fantastic diner to eat, but if your dad says it’s alright I’m up for hunting for the Batman with you.”

Meghan turned and hugged her hard. When she broke away her face was serious, “I hope you never have to go away again. I missed you.” She looked over her shoulder and whispered, “Uncle Bruce missed you too, I think. He was sad a lot.”

Bruce straightened a bit, bracing his hand on the railing as his other found its way into his pocket. He listened silently as Meghan laid him bare to Selina. He could feel Selina’s eyes on him as she spoke, “I missed him more I think.”

Meghan frowned, “Did you cry because you missed him so much?”

Selina nodded, “Several times.”

Meghan’s eyes got bigger as if she had not considered that a possibility. Bruce felt his chest tighten and he took a breath to loosen the vice against his ribs. Meghan looked at Selina with concern, “Maybe you should hurry and get married so you will be together forever already.”

Selina crooked a smile, “Wait. I thought you wanted to marry Bruce. What happened to that? Did Siggy steal your heart away?”

Meghan laughed and shrugged her shoulders, “And Uncle John.”

“What?” Selina looked down at her as if she was impressed, “Two guys? Man I am going to have to marry Bruce soon before you steal him away too.”

Meghan giggled and nodded, “Better hurry up then.”

Selina swatted her bottom as Meghan ran to the door calling for her father. Selina remained kneeling by the pool looking after the little girl with a smile on her face and when she looked up Bruce was standing beside her. She shook her head, “How is it you have the only pair of Italian shoes that have stealth mode options on them?”

He offered his hand to her and helped her to her feet, “Because I’m Batman.”

Selina smiled and gave him a kiss on his jaw, “Yeah, you are, aren’t you?”

“Selina,” He looked around them as he held her hand in his, “This is beautiful. I love it. Sincerely, I have never felt more drawn to a place in my life than I am this very spot. Selina blushed and she seemed suddenly awkward with the praise he lavished on the home. Bruce looked at her reaction and understood it immediately, “You did this didn’t you? This garden, the Dojo, they were your design.” It was no longer a question it was a statement of what he knew to be true.

Selina shrugged, “Fox’s contractors and the people at the Wayne botanical gardens are the ones that really deserve the credit. They took the drawings and well,” she looked around, “They worked magic with them.”

Bruce stepped closer to her, his chest pressing against hers, “Marry me.”

Selina smiled and shook her head, “You have already asked me that once, Wayne. Unless maybe you are angling for a different answer this time?” Bruce pulled her tightly against him and his eyes were so serious and intense that Selina immediately knew what he wanted. Her smile softened, “You want to be married here. Don’t you, Bruce?”

He nodded, “We can do a public one with all the pageantry and fanfare later, but this...I want this for us. Us standing there on that bridge with the people we love most as witnesses. I want to marry you in this garden. He squeezed her waist, “I want it soon, Selina.”

She smiled up at him her eyes bright with mischief, “So we can be together forever already?” Bruce nodded loving every bit of how little Meghan had called out exactly what he wanted for them. Selina mirrored his nod as she brought his face down to hers and captured him in a kiss, “Just tell me when handsome and I will be here.”

“Find a dress, Selina.” He paused for a moment, “Don’t take your sweet time doing it either, kitten.”

Selina traced the line of his jaw with a long finger, “Alfred is going to be pissed when you tell him.”

Bruce shook his head, “Alfred will be ecstatic. Now he will have two weddings to plan.” Bruce searched her face, “I’m serious about having a second ceremony, Selina.” He squeezed her arms gently, “Something so grand it will make Charles and Diana’s look pedestrian.” Selina chuckled at his grandiose offer and Bruce shook his head as if he was disappointed that she was not taking him seriously. “I mean it, Selina. I will turn Alfred loose and tell him to do his damnedest to bankrupt me.” He smiled as Selina blushed and beamed up at him, “Our wedding day will be a damn city wide holiday for Gotham if you want it to be, Selina. But, I want the real thing here.” Bruce looked around them as he rubbed his hands down her arms, “Selina, I want to marry you here.”

Bruce Wayne had just promised her the world on a platter, but Selina Kyle was focused only on the simple request he had made for himself. She stilled him with a hand laid on his chest, “I’ll find a dress Bruce, but it is up to you to tell Alfred.”

X

X

Xxx

Xxxxx

FYI Shitabaki- are a canvas karate pants


	10. Chapter 10

Bruce checked his watch again as the Rolls crept its way through morning traffic with Alfred at the helm. Alfred glanced at him periodically through the rearview mirror, an amused look in his eye as he noticed his employer’s anxious demeanor. Bruce Wayne’s agitation was palpable as he shifted in the seat and glanced at his cell phone before returning it to his lap only to then pick it up again seconds later. He had been silent since they left the Palisades so the sound of Bruce’s deep voice when he spoke nearly startled the elder gentleman, “You should have sent me with a driver, Alfred. I know you still have things to finish at the manor.” Under his breath, Bruce mumbled something about Selina.

Alfred Pennyworth spun slightly in the seat using the standstill in traffic to better assess the sanity of his employer, “Master Wayne, did my ears deceive me or did you just imply that you would actually prefer to be driven by someone other than myself.”

Bruce gave him a pointed look, and then his lip twitched as he acknowledged the irony of his statement “I do not prefer that  _I_  be driven by another driver Alfred, but I do prefer _Selina_  be driven _only_ by _you.”_

Alfred straightened in his seat and faced forward, his chin lifted as he spoke, “I shall take that as the highest of compliments, Master Wayne.” Alfred inclined his head as he acknowledged his employer’s confidence before promptly putting his concerns to rest, “I consulted with the missus before our departure. She was content to remain at the Manor today, sir.” Alfred changed lanes as he spoke, accelerating fluidly as he bypassed a stalled vehicle, “She had plans on convalescing pool side I believe, sir.”

Bruce’s brows lifted as the mental image of Selina in a swimsuit tripped through his mind’s eye. He cleared his throat and nodded before trying to focus in on the business at hand. He accessed his calendar through the WE satellite phone and tried to organize his day. He was determined to keep his schedule on track so that he would be able to escape the office at a reasonable time. A late night scouting in the Bowery coupled with an early wakeup call to train with Blake already had him feeling drained. With one glance at Lucius’s itinerary, he realized that his plan was doomed to failure.

Bruce swore lightly under his breath.  _Lucius was stacked. There are fourteen entries in his calendar before 11am. Lucius you are pushing yourself too hard._  Bruce exhaled and rubbed his temple,  _or I am pushing you too hard. Either way this is unacceptable_. Fox had not had a day off in weeks. He seemed to be on site twenty-four-seven and when he wasn’t at the shop he was assisting Blake or bailing Bruce himself out of whatever crisis he had found himself in whether it be business or Batman related. Taking time away yesterday to take care of Selina had resulted in a late night in the office for his over worked CEO and according to his schedule he had already been in the office for over an hour today.

Bruce frowned down at his watch again as he tapped his phone on his knee distractedly. He had called Fox, as they were about to sit down to dinner last night. Selina and Meghan had been sitting on the ledge of the billiards table in the beautifully refurbished game room chasing pool balls into the pockets when he first tried to reach his CEO. He left a message on his cell and then as an afterthought direct dialed to his office phone. Fox’s assistant picked up the call immediately. Bruce recognized his voice from his years of service; the fatigue in his voice was obvious. Bruce glanced at his watch frowning at the lateness of the hour. After several minutes of conversation, Bruce realized Fox would not be joining them and likely not leaving the office anytime soon that evening.

Bruce had returned to the group, as they were about to ascend to the second story. Meghan was begging her father to allow her to return to the solarium for a swim in the temperature-controlled pool.  _The pool... Selina would be sitting beside it wearing a miniscule bikini no doubt._  Bruce tried not to be annoyed by the fact he would not be there applying the suntan oil.  _This is about Fox not me._  He shifted again in the seat as he typed out a text to Selina.

**‘Alfred said you are swimming today. What will you be wearing? I want a pic.’**

He smiled down at his phone as he thought of the beautiful pool area that had been recreated under the supervision of his talented fiancée. As the group had meandered through the huge room, he had been astounded by the change that had been made to the structure. Gone was the simple two-lane lap pool where he had spent so many hours swimming in silent isolation. Now there were walls of glass that encased the entire structure, vaulted two stories above them. The glass ceiling was supported with pure white beams set angularly against one another creating an elegant architectural focal point that drew your eyes upward to the lifted glass panels that capped off the top of the structure. It was luxurious and refined. Bruce had looked over at Alfred and witnessed his butler wrapping an arm around Selina as they stood together beside the pool, “It is just as it came off your pen, Miss Kyle, a work of art. Positively breathtaking.”

Selina had beamed up at Alfred, but was quick to pass on the compliment, “I just gave suggestions. Fox’s architect did the real work, he created the plans.”

Bruce tapped the phone on his knee again. _Lucius. With all he has on his plate, he still has a huge hand in the remodel too. There is no amount of money that could ever compensate Fox for what he has done for me…for Gotham._  The phone vibrated and a muted beep sounded under his hand.

**‘No dice Wayne. If u wanted to see my suit - u shoulda stayed home’**

Bruce snorted as he responded, his fingers typed quickly and he pressed send and then immediately accepted a call from Fox before it even had time to ring through, “Good morning Fox. I trust you are not calling to tell me that we lost the bid on the Shelburne.”

An exasperated huff preceded the CEO’s response, “Mr. Wayne. I put that to bed last night.”

Bruce chuckled, “Really? I would have thought you would have let me know we closed it.” He spoke as he gazed out of the window of the Rolls as they pulled to a stop. Alfred parked the car along the curb and quickly stepped out to release his charge upon the sidewalk. Bruce stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk pausing for a moment while Alfred straightened his tie. Bruce mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ and Alfred nodded silently as he passed the owner of Wayne Enterprises his briefcase. Alfred nodded smartly to the doorman of Wayne towers as he shut the rear door of the Silver Rolls Royce Phantom, watching proudly as Bruce Wayne strode into the bustling lobby as he continued his conversation with Fox. “Well I should hope that since you were not at the unveiling of Wayne Manor that you had pressing business to contend with.”

“That I did Mr. Wayne.” Fox’s voice was filled with humor. “I trust that the Commissioner and Ms. Meghan were enough to entertain you in my absence.”

Bruce smiled, “They were at that. See you in seventy-eight floors.” Bruce dropped the phone into his pocket as he stepped into the elevator car. His mind wandered back to last night and Gordon, his face darkening as he thought of Megan for the remainder of his vertical commute.

X

(The night before at Wayne Manor)

X

Gordon had been mindful that there was business in the Bowery to be attended to and he had insisted that he and Meghan be off by 8:30 that evening. Alfred had kept them on schedule until Meghan become engrossed in playing with Blake and Ace. Alfred had set off to recover the little girl and Bruce meandered over to where the Commissioner and his fiancée were talking quietly on the drive by Gordon’s car.

Bruce heard Selina’s ask if there was anything more she could do and Gordon just cleared his throat as he noticed Bruce approach. He muttered out that she was doing enough and that he appreciated her. Bruce paused as the conversation had obviously stalled at his arrival, “Am I interrupting?”

Gordon shook his head but looked mildly flustered, “Not at all, In fact it may well concern you.” He gave Bruce a quick look before dropping his eyes to his shoes, “Alfred and Blake too for that matter...depending on how you decide you want to do this.” He looked at Selina as he said the word ‘you’, seemingly looking for an answer to a question.

Selina shrugged, “Play it by ear, Jim. Just let me know when. I got you covered.” She reached down and squeezed the commissioner’s hand looking at him intently, “Think about the other thing too, I’m serious.”

Gordon let out a breath as he lifted her hand and brushed a kiss against her fingers. Bruce heard his voice crack, “I may just do that.”

Bruce could tell that the moment was emotionally charged and his arm slipped protectively around Selina’s waist, “Everything alright, Jim?” He was taken aback when the Commissioner shook his head that it was not.

Gordon’s voice was ragged when he spoke, “I will let Selina fill you in on the details. You have my apologies in advance if my personal issues take time away from you two. I know with—”

Selina stopped him with a lift of her hand, “I wouldn’t have it any other way, and you know that.”

Gordon nodded as he finally lifted his eyes to meet Selina’s, “I do know that and that the only reason I felt I could ask. Thank you.” He looked at Bruce and gave him a small nod, “I should go collect my daughter, you have a pressing engagement in the Bowery tonight.”

Bruce nodded pushing aside for a moment the cryptic and strained conversation he had interrupted as he offered his hand to the police commissioner, “I don’t know how to thank you Jim... for returning Wayne Manor to me. I never expected anything like this from you or the city.”

Gordon shook his hand, “Don’t thank me, Bruce.” He gestured to the massive house behind them, “It was meant to show the gratitude of your city.” He couldn’t help but smile. “For everything  _Bruce Wayne_  has done for Gotham.” He pulled his jacket tighter as he looked up at the massive structure, “I look forward to the formal unveiling at the end of the week. I’m sure between now and then Alfred and Selina it will have it looking even more spectacular.”

x

Their car had not even pulled out of the drive to the massive metal gates that guarded the grounds before Selina could feel Bruce’s eyes on her. She made a production of stretching and yawning and then laid a hand on his shoulder as she slipped off first one heeled shoe and then the other. She slipped her fingers through the straps and turned to go into the house when his low voice reached her, “Really Selina?”

She grinned over her shoulder and gave him a wink, “Curiosity gets to bats too, doesn’t it handsome? Where do you want me to start?”

Bruce followed her up the steps his hands dropping into his trouser pockets, “You can start wherever you want Selina, as long as you are telling me the truth...all of it, with no exclusions.”

She paused on the steps and gave him an amused smirk, “I feel like I just got sworn in to testify.”

Bruce let her circle his shoulders with her uninjured arm, his eyes dropped to the fiberglass cast that rested across her stomach, “I don’t handle it well when you hold back on me, Selina. I would like the truth and nothing but the truth from my future wife, so start talking.”

Selina nodded her head and answered grimly, “Alright, I will be watching Meghan for a few days coming up soon.”

Bruce scoffed, “We will be watching Meghan. That is hardly a tragedy. I assume you meant to say  _we_  because I would fail to understand how it would not be a ‘we’.” He paused for a moment as he read Selina's unhappy expression, “What exactly are the circumstances surrounding our babysitting Miss Meghan?”

Selina gave him a rueful smile, “And in the details there we find the tragedy. Gordon’s ex called and it seems his older daughter has been having problems. He has to go to Cleveland and see what he can do to calm the situation.” Selina’s lip twisted into an unhappy line, “The ex is giving him a hard time about Meghan. He thought it would be easier if she stayed here clear of the fray.”

Bruce slipped his hands out of his pockets and rested them on Selina’s hips, “I didn’t even think to ask how his holiday went and if the kids got along…”

Selina’s look softened, “The kids did. Maybe too well.”

Bruce’s brows drew together as he listened to her recount Gordon’s trip. He stopped her once and asked her how she knew so much about it and she told him of her chats with Meghan on Skype. “She prattled on about Babs and JJ so much I think I already like them myself.”

She looked up at Bruce when he just gave her an unsurprised nod, “They are good kids. They always have been. It killed Jim to lose them in the divorce.”

“I’m sure it did.” Selina moved restlessly against Bruce and he slid his thumbs soothingly against her sides as she continued to speak, “You know the weather was shit at Christmas, the flight for his kids got cancelled. He and Meghan flew up three days later and spent a week in Cleveland. Gordon, Meghan, and his other two kids stayed at a condominium his ex in-laws owned. Everything was going great until it came time to leave and Babs asked to come back with them. “

Selina and Bruce held each other’s eyes as Bruce shrugged, “I can imagine that not going over well with Barbara. Gotham is blown to hell right now. The safety of the city was the very reason she took off with the kids in the first place.”

“That’s exactly how Gordon felt. He promised Babs that when things calmed she could come out and stay for a while. He even told her he would take vacation and they would go somewhere together. He thought it was fine until he got back home and his doorbell rang two days later.”

Bruce raised his brows, “Oh.”

Selina agreed, “Yeah oh. Well there was a cell phone battle and shots were fired via text and email from Cleveland to Gotham and back. After it all settled, his daughter said that she wasn’t returning home and that if he made her that she would run.”

Selina shivered and turned to the house folding her arms across her chest. Bruce dropped his jacket over her shoulders. Selina looked up at him unsurprised by the chivalry of the man by her side. Bruce gave her a half-hearted smile before glancing up at the night sky, “If you aren’t too chilled I’d like to finish this out here.” Bruce requested the courtesy from her quietly and she nodded as she sat down on the concrete steps. She liked the seclusion of the night and the protection the darkness seemingly offered. Bruce sat down beside her, “What happened?”

“The ex-Mrs. Gordon showed the next day and there was a standoff. Luckily, Stephens stopped by and was able to get Meghan out of there. She was upset. Meg evidently didn’t deal well with the fighting.” Selina’s jaw tightened, “She called me crying. It took an hour to finally calm her.” Bruce shifted and Selina recognized the movement from the normally unflappable Bruce Wayne as a display of extreme agitation.

“We could take her. Meghan. If she needs to stay longer…more than just a few days...more... permanently.” His words were chopped and short and they were filled with raw emotion.

Selina stilled him with a hand on his, “That is what Gordon is afraid of, Bruce. That issues with his wife will cost him another child.”

Bruce sucked in a breath, “Damn.”

Selina let her fingers twine with his, as the silence surrounded them. “Babs isn’t exactly a child though, she is fifteen and that is old enough to make some decisions for herself. She asked Gordon to agree to try for sole guardianship or custody or whatever the hell you lawyer types call it.” Bruce gave her a firm look at the categorization he had been lumped into, but remained silent willing her to finish this out.

Selina rolled her shoulders and flexed her neck, “He is going out to Cleveland to see if he can get the ex to agree to a custody arrangement and bring his daughter back to Gotham. If not she will be flying out solo when her emancipation paperwork is approved. Either way Jim is adamant that she will be coming back to Gotham." Selina was silent for a beat, “Thank you, Bruce.” Her eyes were fixed in the distance as she clarified, “For what you offered for Meghan. Thank you for that.”

Bruce nodded, his head lowered as he looked at his hands, “I love her Selina. I would do anything for her.” Selina leaned into him and he gathered her against his side. His lips brushed her temple as he whispered, “I would do anything for you.”

Selina’s cheek stayed pressed against him for a long while before she finally lifted her head. She saw the love he had in his eyes, but she saw also an uncompromising determination. _Bruce Wayne is not going to be relegated to the bench during this battle. He has a stake in this...happiness of the people he cared about was on the line not the least of which was a little girl that had been through more than her share of pain in her short life._  Selina read it all in his face and she loved him more in that moment for it than she thought possible.  _Meghan has a protector that knew no limits or boundaries._  Selina swallowed hard and tried to lighten the mood. She kissed his cheek, “Calm down tough guy. Gordon is handling it as of now, but you might get your chance to contribute.”

He was not surprised when Selina then suggested his support might best be shown in the form of legal counsel. “Gordon’s wife said that if he pushed things with custody that she would do everything she could to disrupt Meghan’s adoption. The final proceedings are just a few months away. She has time to blow it all. Gordon may need a lawyer. Possibly a better one than he could likely afford on a public servant’s salary.” Selina gave Bruce a pained look, “He didn’t ask for anything, Bruce and I didn’t put you out there...I just thought you might—”

“You thought right.” Bruce felt a heavy weight settle in his stomach.  _Gordon is in a fight that has the potential to cost him both Babs and Meghan. Of course Selina is right to assume I would do whatever I could to assist him._  He pulled Selina onto his lap. She settled immediately into his arms tucking her face into his neck. He felt the chill of her nose as she warmed her face against his throat. “You have more to tell me kitten.” Bruce twisted a tendril of hair around his finger, “Gordon and I had a talk about how he managed to pull off this deal with the Manor. He told me about the anonymous donation to the boys’ home that got the ball rolling.” Bruce nudged her face with his, “The amount was very near the same figure that changed hands for the insider information at WE.” Selina was seemingly unfazed by this implication, as she continued to nuzzle gently against his jaw. So he asked her directly, “Should I be concerned that the funds might be traceable to a former Gotham City Catburgler?”

Her throaty laugh against his skin sent a shiver up his spine, “I was pissed after the shit in Corsica, not brain-dead Bruce. The cash is clean. Nothing is traceable. It is so damn clean in fact that I even used your favorite little bank in Monte Carlo to effect the Bara bond transactions.” There was a cruel satisfaction in her voice as she recounted that detail. “I put Jessica’s blood money back into Gotham where it could do some good.” She shrugged her shoulders, “So what?”

She was daring him to argue with what she obviously believed was a completely justified move on her part. She continued when he withheld judgment. “If you want the specifics I can give them to you, but I would prefer you not be involved further.”

They sat for a long moment as Bruce digested her confession. She turned his wrist and the illuminated dials brought her to her feet, “We need to get a move on, Bruce.” 

She stood between his knees as his hands gripped her thighs. She looked down at him and her eyes narrowed as he asked another question, “Where did the money for the house come from Selina? You donated nearly everything you recovered from Jessica. There wasn’t nearly enough to cover what has been done to the house. “

Selina’s smile twisted tighter and she gave him a wink, “A girl has to have some secrets handsome.”

His hands slipped up to her bottom and he squeezed as he stood, “I think I would have been disappointed if you had told me.” He pulled her tightly to him, “I will be more disappointed if I find out you have been up to no good, kitten.”

Selina grinned and gave him a sly shake of her head as she murmured, “You like me a little bad Bruce. You might as well admit that to yourself.” She shrugged off his jacket and spun on her bare heel, her hips swayed alluringly as she walked away from him.

Bruce responded to Selina’s flirtation with a swift smack to her rear.

Selina rubbed her bottom as her eyes sparked with irritation and desire, “That’s two I owe you, Wayne.”

His eyes narrowed and he growled back at her, “I’m ready when you are.”

Selina smirked as she walked after him, “Just remember I give as good as I get.” She rubbed unnecessarily against him as she slipped by to take the lead up the stone stairs. The black garden lanterns illuminated the wide walk and he enjoyed the view he was afforded.

His voice was raspy as he replied, “I can’t wait little cat.”

Selina knew he was watching her as she lead him through the front door of Wayne Manor, “Not tonight rich boy we have stuff to do.”

X

xx

xxx Present at WE xxx

Bruce dropped into his chair with a huff as he scrubbed his palms over his cheeks. He stifled a yawn as his eyes bleared from fatigue. Sleep deprivation coupled with his strenuous business schedule had left the owner of Wayne Enterprises mentally and physically spent. Bruce glanced at his watch and groaned.  _Thirty-seven minutes until the next block of meetings_. He slipped his phone out of his slacks and skimmed through his missed calls and messages, three from Blake and one from Gordon all regarding the men involved in the weapons trading the night previous. He skipped Selina’s message noting that it had an attachment. He smiled as he thought of his earlier request,  _Guess my guilt trip worked._

He told Selina this morning as he regretfully untangled himself from her warm embrace that he absolutely  _had_  to go into the office. She grumbled her discontent and leveraged him back against her side. She used his unwillingness to struggle against her injured arm to her advantage. She climbed above him and seemed intent on molesting him beyond the bounds of what his schedule allowed. She looked to be victorious in her endeavors until Bruce told her of his concern for Fox. He held her at bay with a firm hand fisted in her long hair. He whispered against her insistent lips telling her about the enormous workload Fox was shouldering. Selina frowned and then slipped wordlessly from astride his waist.

Bruce was all too aware of how much Selina cared for his CEO. Earlier in the car, he reminded her it was for Fox and Fox only that he separated himself from her. He hoped evoking some sympathy would garner him the results he desired, namely a picture of his sexy lover. It was the least she could do to tide him over while he was liberating Fox from the shop. Bruce was not above playing the martyr if it could get him forgiven and further reward him with what was doubtlessly a picture of Selina Kyle poolside opening on his phone right this very instant.

The downloaded file opened and he realized that he would have been better off leaving things alone.  _Holy god...How can those tiny yellow triangles be expected to contain Selina Kyle’s considerable assets?_  He twisted the screen and groaned as his eyes dropped lower. It was truly a string bikini, the bottoms were held together at the sides loosely bound by yellow cloth ties looped into unreliable looking bows. His mouth was suddenly very dry. He reached out on his desk and grabbed the bottle of water that stood untouched on the corner; uncapping it while his eyes never left the screen he swallowed repeatedly nearly choking as Fox’s assistant startled him by knocking lightly on his open office door.

The elderly assistant’s eyes were apologetic as he watched the owner of Wayne Enterprises lapse into a coughing fit. He clasped his hands in front of himself, “Apologies Mr. Wayne. I didn’t mean to startle you, sir.” Bruce shut off his phone and waved him off as he continued to cough.

After regaining his composure and being briefed on his afternoon itinerary, Bruce dismissed the elderly man for the remainder of the day. He thanked him for his long hours of service and insisted that he enjoy the same long weekend afforded to Fox. The confused look on the man’s face slowed Bruce. “Did I miss something Mr. Primrose?”

The elder man slipped off his glasses, “Mr. Fox…I saw him just a few minutes ago, Mr. Wayne. He must have had a few things left unfinished. He said he was headed to Applied Sciences. Are you sure that you do not require my services further, sir? You have a challenging schedule in the latter part of the day, sir. I would hate to jump ship when there is still work to be finished.” Bruce insisted that he take the time and was thanked profusely by the grateful employee. No sooner, than the door closed Bruce was in the private elevator headed to Applied Sciences.

X

xx

He heard the strain in her voice and his steps quickened. She was not a woman that was easily rattled and what he was hearing was this powerful woman sounding unsettled, anxious, and clearly defeated. Lucius’s voice came low and comforting, “Pepper, I will do whatever it is you require of me, but I don’t agree that taking yourself out of the negotiations is the right thing to at this juncture.” Bruce pulled up short not willing to round the pillar that blocked him from Fox’s desk. The two were most certainly video chatting and he did not want to interfere if the situation did not warrant his influence. Fox’s voice sounded again his tone comforting and strong, “Pepper, you know that you have both mine and Mr. Wayne’s full support on this.”

Pepper’s rueful laugh sounded hollow in the dark expanses of the Applied Sciences division, “Have I?” She sighed, “Well at least I have two men on my side.”

Fox asked the question that Bruce needed answering, “Am I led to believe that it is more than our foreign opposition that disapproves of your involvement in the energy project.”

Pepper’s laugh filled his ear, “Ever since the break in at the San Diego facility Tony has wanted me off this. Add to that the recent threats, “ She tossed her hands up and shook her head in defeat, “He hasn’t presumed to demand I relinquish my position, but he has kept himself underfoot constantly.” Her voice nearly cracked, “He is being impossible actually. Bruce would be better off with you heading the project Lucius. Things would be more efficient I’m sure. I can’t even go out for lunch without it causing a security nightmare.”

Bruce had heard enough, he rounded the corner, concern etched on his face. Fox’s brows raised and he chuckled, “Well Miss Potts if you didn’t have enough with one billionaire worrying over your safety now you will have two.”

Bruce Walked up beside Fox and accepted a chair that was offered up for his use. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and smoothed his tie as he sat down in the chair. Pepper felt goosebumps break out on her arm when Wayne stepped into the camera frame, the smooth way he carried himself never ceased to make her stomach do a little flip. She blushed a little as she watched him settle into the chair. His voice put her immediately at ease. “Miss Potts, you are a vision. Green always looks beautiful on you.”

She looked down at herself and smiled. Working as CEO for Stark Industries had thrown her in the mix with every type of power player in the game. Some showed themselves to be womanizers or even misogynists. Men that used their money and position to intimidate. These were the men that welded a compliment like a weapon. A statement on her outfit intended to sexualize her so that she was reminded she was and always would be the female…the subordinate. A simple compliment intended to weaken her position and disadvantage her in negotiations. Pepper knew the hard truths of females in business first hand, she knew why less than 4.6% of fortune 100 companies had women at the helm. She had the added stress of being judged on the man in her bed rather than by her own merits. It had been a taxing journey to gain credibility after Tony had abruptly appointed her CEO of Stark Industries. She had been treated like an opportunistic whore by the jealous women and like a clueless bimbo by many of the threatened men. But none of that was true of Bruce Wayne.

Since the first time she met Bruce he had not only treated her with deference to her feelings as a woman, but also made her feel valued and respected for her intelligence and contributions to their business dealings. She stood witness to the first negotiations between Stark and Wayne and she would never forget that day. It was the first time Tony Stark had been forced to take her seriously. She played over the memory.  _It was the first time Tony told me that he appreciated me, that he needed me._  He had done it because of the acknowledgment of the intense and blindingly attractive man from Gotham city that now filled her computer screen.

Pepper took a shaky breath, smoothing the fabric of her green silk top over her stomach as her eyes blinked rapidly. Tears were threatening behind her eyes and she fought hard to keep from falling apart. Bruce looked quickly over at Fox who stood beside him shouldering on his suit jacket. Fox shook his head and turned away from the camera his face was etched in concern. He spoke over his shoulder, “Ms. Potts I am going to leave you in Mr. Wayne’s capable hands. I am tardy for an important lunch engagement.” He tugged his cuffs into place at his sleeves as he gave Bruce a wink.

Bruce gave him a knowing look, “Tell Selina to find the rest of that swimsuit.”

Fox chuckled as he patted Bruce’s shoulder, “I never presume to tell a woman how to dress, Mr. Wayne.” He patted Bruce on the shoulder as he walked past, “Thank you again for seeing to the shop. “

Bruce acknowledged his CEO’s departure giving Pepper a few more moments to compose herself. The distraction had done what he was hoped it would. When he returned his attention back to the monitor Pepper Potts was smiling as she brushed back her long strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. She then restacked the papers on her desk as an awkward silence stretched between them. Bruce lifted his eyes from her face and looked over her shoulder, “Fantastic view of the Embarcadero.” Bruce kept his eyes on the blue of the Pacific Ocean that filtered in between the mainland and Coranado.

Pepper cleared her throat and glanced over her shoulder. She turned so the computer camera could capture more of the landscape. Bruce took the unguarded moment to study her profile. His lips lifted as watched her control her breathing through measured inhales. Her shoulders were lifted indicative of stress and he could see the pulse in her neck tripping quickly beneath her pale skin. His eyes flicked back to the landscape as she turned back to the camera and he continued on with a casual dialogue, “You been on the course lately?” He did not bother to specify which golf course as they both knew he was speaking of the smaller, less played one across the water rather than the more prestigious Pebble Beach up the coast off Monterey.

Pepper shook her head and laughed, her shoulders dropped slightly as she sat back in her chair, “Only you would ask me about my golf game on a day like today, Bruce”

Bruce grinned and Pepper was reminded why he was so widely lauded as one of America’s sexiest playboys. His smile and charm were enough to bring a mortal woman to her knees. Bruce cocked his head and captured her with his sparkling eyes as he smiled, “You know teaching a beautiful woman to golf is one of my signature moves.” Pepper laughed again and Bruce was happy that it sounded genuine and not forced. “You just happen to be too smart to fall for my lines.”

Pepper’s eyes twinkled as she responded, “That and my golf game was already better than yours.”

Bruce laughed and nodded, “That might have been a factor as well, Ms. Potts.”

His face morphed from the sexy playboy he pretended to be into the man Pepper Potts knew him to be, the real Bruce Wayne. It was because she did know him that she knew he was handling her right now. He was charming her, making her laugh, calming her and she was grateful. With Bruce, there was no malice and no agenda. His face was open and unguarded. Pepper focused on his eyes, they were green flecked with gold, and they sparkled with the intelligence that had made him so devastatingly effective in business. She shook her head and smiled, “Besides, you have retired all of those lame playboy moves of yours. You are in love now.”

Bruce’s smile softened and he lifted his hands as if to say, ‘you got me’. Pepper swallowed hard not trusting herself to speak for a moment. While the press labeled Bruce as a vapid playboy, Pepper knew him to be exactly the opposite. He was thoughtful and intelligent with a silent strength likely born from the death of his parents. Pepper felt herself tear up again as she thought of Rachel.  _He had been so lost after she died. Now just look at him…have to meet the woman that has done this…the woman that brought him back to the world._ Pepper looked at him with satisfaction, “Fox told me you would be setting a date soon. That is wonderful. No one deserves happiness more than you, Bruce.”

Pepper had known his pain and Bruce had no qualms now with her sharing his joy, “It’s more than happiness Pepper.” He glanced down at his hands and then back up to the screen, “She understands me, accepts me for everything that I am.” He took a breath and looked away, “She brings me a sense of peace that I never knew possible.” He looked back at her and his lips lifted in a helpless smile, “Pepper I’m a walking cliché and I know it. It’s alright to laugh.”

Pepper felt her stomach clench at the tender affection he displayed. She shook her head, “It’s not funny Bruce. It’s love and it’s beautiful.” She tucked a smooth piece of hair behind her ear, “Now if you tell any of that to Tony...” She smiled as Bruce dropped back his head and laughed.

Bruce shook his head imagining the field day Stark would have with his relationship with Selina. The sudden image of the ultimate playboy Tony Stark in a room with his Selina had him shifting uncomfortably and tugging at the knot of his tie.  _Damn Tony Stark. He would make a meal out of pursuing Selina just to screw with me. Just the thought of Stark in his heeled boots dancing with Selina, hands on her when she is wearing one of those short dresses of hers...flirting with her. I know he will be relentlessly flirting with her, fuck._ Just thinking about it was enough to set him on edge if he ever actually happened he was liable to lapse into a rage blackout at the mere sight.

Bruce quickly directed the conversation away from Stark and Selina He eased Pepper into business and after a few minutes, she let go of the apprehension she had been harboring and revealed to him all that had been plaguing the operation and negotiations the past two weeks. Bruce listened quietly as she spoke to the break in and the security measures implemented.

Pepper felt her chest getting tight as she explained to him that Stark asked her to step down from the project after the last threat against the facility. She sat quietly waiting for Bruce to respond. Bruce smoothed his hands together as he contemplated what to say. Pepper broke in her voice resolved, “I understand Bruce, if you feel the same way. I think just having a woman on the project is complicating the negotiation process with the Middle Eastern companies.” She drew another measured breath and was about to continue when Bruce spoke.

“Pepper what do you want?” Her eyes lifted and she paused for a moment as her mouth worked and he leaned closer to the screen, “The last thing I would ever want, Pepper, is to put you in danger, but I need to know what you want to do.”

She spoke up quickly, “I am not in danger Bruce. The security is quite ridiculous in fact.” She waved a hand, “The building is secure, and the facility is now impenetrable.” She cut her eyes to the side, “There are several different organizations involved at this point assuring that fact.”

Bruce nodded, not allowing himself to ask about the organizations to which she was referring. She asked him for consideration when it came to Tony and his “colleagues” and so he pointedly avoided the topic now. “You haven’t answered me, Pepper. What do you want?”

She sighed, “I want to see this through Bruce. I do. But I really think things might go smoother if Lucius—”

Bruce shook his head, “Pepper, I have heard all I need to hear. You are safe, the facility is safe, and as far as I am concerned you are the only person for the job.” He set his lips in a firm line before he spoke again. “Pepper, I know you are in a difficult position dealing with some of the…” he paused and only just managed to get his mouth to say, “cultural prejudices that are doubtlessly presenting themselves in conjunction with this venture.” He looked angry at even having to address this topic, “We hold the all of the cards here. We don’t need them, Pepper. They need us. How this project progresses and the individuals and companies that are going to be a part of this with us need to be chosen carefully.”

What he said registered with her, but what he implied meant even more. She said silently as he continued to speak.

“Pepper, you have one of the sharpest minds for business that I have ever encountered.” His earnest eyes met hers, “You just need to trust your instincts. They have served you well over the years.” He made sure she understood that he believed in her before his face set in a hard line, “You are a pioneer here, Ms. Potts. You are in uncharted territory and the impression you make during these negotiations will be a legacy that every business woman will follow in the future.” His voice was grim and his message was direct, “Don’t give up Pepper...and don’t take shit off anyone.”

She barked out a laugh, “Does that advice include Tony too?” She shook her head in obvious frustration.

Bruce nodded a smirk covering his face, “That especially includes Tony.”

Bruce’s calm confidence was like a balm to her raw nerves. She shut her eyes for a long moment. Just hearing someone tell her that they understood the magnitude of what she was going through but still trusting her to handle it on her own was the most empowering thing that she had felt in a long time. Bruce knew what happened was not right and he did not like it for her, but he helped her understand what it meant that she stay in the game.

He studied the screen; the stress was evident in her eyes. Bruce sighed, “Pepper, if it is too much to ask of you...to continue on...I understand. Believe me I do. I know you have your hands full with SI and this just adds so much more on you.” Bruce searched her face, “If you want to step down I just ask that you give me some time to find a replacement. I can’t put Fox over it. I already have him spread thin here. He is working himself to death and we are still barely staying on top of things in Gotham. I might be able to get—”

Pepper’s resolve hardened and she interrupted, “I don’t want you to find someone else Bruce. I’ve got it.” His look was questioning and she drew herself up in her chair and repeated herself, “I’ve got it.”

xxxxx

x

xxx

Bruce walked into the front door of Wayne Manor at 8:03pm, he was exhausted and starving and there was no one there to greet him. He pondered that as he walked through the doors. “At least I’m not locked out in the rain this time.” He muttered the words under his breath and then immediately blanched at the memory that brought his tryst with Talia back into the forefront of his mind. “Hell.” He grumbled as he ran a hand through his hair. All of the time spent in the Bowery last night searching for links to the Joker was unearthing old wounds. He rubbed at his side, feeling the raised scar from Talia’s knife.  _Old wounds._  The Joker’s wounds ran deeper than a simple split in his skin. The Joker had done more than just spill his blood.

Bruce tossed his briefcase on the table in the foyer knowing that it would likely irritate the hell out of Alfred. He could not bring himself to care, almost wanting the normalcy of a proper dressing down from his stodgy English butler.

He tugged the already loosened burgundy and silver paisley printed tie leaving it dangling around his throat once he had wrestled it apart. As he walked through the massive house, he realized how impossible it was to trail down people when he wanted them. He pulled out his satellite phone and accessed the security system for the house. Eight signals populated, three in the kitchen, one in the dining room, one on level two laundry and three in the lower east corner of the mansion. He strode toward the dojo, smelling dinner cooking as he passed down the hall adjacent to the kitchen. Bruce grabbed an apple out of a bowl en route taking a wolfish bite as he continued through to the rear of the house. He was already running late for Blake’s training, he had not eaten and they were still due in the Bowery tonight. He shrugged off his suit jacket as he gripped the half eaten apple in his mouth. The door to the dojo was ajar and he could hear voices from inside.

“Master Wayne will be none too pleased with this Ms. Kyle. I feel I must ask again that you desist immediately. You should be resting your injury not engaging in hand to hand combat.”

Bruce’s head tilted and his approach become stealthier.  _What are you up to now little girl?_  He heard Blake’s breathless response, “Relax Alfred, it’s not like we are making contact. I won’t hurt her. She is just keeping me occupied until Bruce gets home.”

Selina’s voice responded, “Yeah Alfred, he won’t hurt me. We are just playing around.” Bruce heard the condescending dismissal in Blake’s voice and he recognized the threat in Selina’s as a recipe for disaster, he barged into the room and immediately understood Alfred’s concern. Selina and Blake circled one another. It was apparent from her sweat soaked grey tank that they had been at this for a while. Blake was in a full black Gi and looked flushed and winded. “What do you two think you are doing?” Bruce’s voice boomed from the doorway. Blake’s head snapped to the side and Selina launched. Blake saw her coming out of the corner of his eye and his hand flashed out in an attempt to block her strike, Selina leveraged over his arm and used her momentum to swing herself up. Her lead leg slipped around his neck and she whipped her upper body downward toward the floor, executing a perfect flying scissor take down.

It was the quickest Bruce had ever seen and possibly the first Blake had ever encountered. He had no defense for it. Blake was swung off his feet and slammed hard onto the unpadded floor. Selina rolled neatly up on top of his chest and smiled down at him, her thighs still firmly wrapped around his neck. “Never lose your focus little Robin, you’ll get your wings clipped.” His hands gripped her thighs as he tried to pry her loose and clear an airway to breathe.

Alfred shook his head as Bruce stalked over to the two combatants. He grasped Selina’s elbow and hoisted her to her feet. He gave her a smoldering look as she kissed his cheek. “Welcome home, handsome.”

Bruce growled his displeasure as he collected Blake off the floor, pulling him to his feet with one hand as he held Selina against him with the other. “I don’t suppose I need ask if you two have been playing nice while I was at work.”

Blake managed to look contrite as he stood in front of his mentor. Selina, however was unapologetic. She smiled brilliantly up at him as she panted breathlessly. She kissed him resoundingly on the lips. “’Bout time you called it a day Wayne. I thought I was going to have to drive up there and bring you home myself.” She patted Bruce’s chest and turned quickly away bopping over to where Alfred was now holding out a towel and her warm-up jacket.

Alfred gave her a disapproving look of his own, “I must reiterate, Ms. Kyle, I disapprove of such exertion while your bones are mending.”

Selina smiled, “Sorry, Sir Alfred. I couldn’t have lived with myself if Blake hadn’t got taken down a peg.” Selina sealed the apology with a kiss on his cheek and whispered under her breath, “Did you see that, Alfred? It was awesome wasn’t it?”

Alfred gave her a wink and whispered back, “Quite so, Ms. Kyle.” Selina laughed and slapped Alfred a high-five as she walked out of the room. Alfred called over his shoulder, “Dinner in twenty minutes, miss.”

x

Exactly twenty minutes later Alfred ushered the two men from the dojo into the formal dining room. Both were still discussing what Blake had learned facing Selina. The young man was intent on finding a defense to the maneuver that she had used on him. From what he had conveyed to Bruce, Selina had been duly impressed with his level of performance. Blake had promised Bruce that they went through forms and the only take down that had occurred was the one he had witnessed for himself.

Bruce had to hide a smile when Blake told him that Selina had promised to continue his lessons with rope maneuvers and climbing skills after her arm healed. Wayne decided not to call attention to the fledging friendship that seemed to be emerging between the two. He also managed to contain the twinge of jealousy that immediately followed when Blake gushed over how athletic and strong Selina had proven herself to be. The image of Selina’s legs wrapped around Blake’s neck as she straddled his chest was intimate enough to haunt him forever as it were.

 _Speak of the devil._  Selina walked into the room with a smile. She had obviously showered; her hair was still damp, wound in a loose ponytail. She was barefoot, wearing simple black yoga pants and a navy tank top. Bruce hesitated mid sentence when she walked in, completely losing his train of thought. Blake’s lips lifted into a knowing smile as he watched Selina Kyle take apart his mentor without ever lifting a finger. Realizing he had lost Bruce’s attention, Blake patted his back, “Good talk Bruce. We can finish later.” Blake took his place at the table leaving a place at the head and one to the immediate side for Selina.

Bruce nodded at Blake not sure exactly what he agreed to as his mind had jumped track and he was focused on Selina Kyle. She had energy in her stride as she walked quickly across the thick Turkish rug that covered the floor. The long dining table was set, but with only three settings. Selina looked expectantly at Bruce as she pressed a kiss against his cheek, “Really? Alfred isn’t taking dinner with us?”

Bruce shook his head as he pulled out her chair, “He never does in formal settings.” Selina huffed and looked down at herself and over at Blake who had thrown on a mismatched workout suit, “This is hardly formal.”

Bruce shrugged, “He’s British Selina, tea in the morning is formal.” Selina’s lips turned down and Bruce smiled. She was not going to let this go. Bruce and Blake shared an amused look as Selina accepted the offered chair. Alfred walked in with the chef as the server sat the first course of soup on the table.

Selina cleared her throat and raised her brow. Alfred cocked his head and Selina inclined her head at the empty chair across from her. Alfred declined with a firm shake of his head. Selina looked at Bruce for assistance and found him absorbed in the bowl of soup in front of him. Blake looked back at her and shrugged a small smile of anticipation on his face as he remained mute awaiting the confrontation between her and Alfred Pennyworth.

“Cowards,” she muttered under her breath as she looked between the two men.

Bruce ate his soup hiding a smile behind the large spoon that he dipped into the pool of lentils. He was content to allow Selina to try to move the unmovable as it promised to be an entertaining impromptu dinner theater. This was Bruce’s position right up to the point it became apparent Selina was not eating. He fixed her with an unhappy frown, “Am I to understand that you are launching a hunger protest, my dear?”

Selina raised her eyebrow, “It seems like the easiest way.” She pushed her bowl aside and relaxed back in her chair.

Blake chuckled into his bowl, “Alfred won’t fall for it.”

Selina smirked back at him, a knowing look in her eyes as she curled her casted arm over her stomach, “It won’t hurt me to cut some calories to find out. I have been eating too much since I got back to Gotham anyways.”

Blake grinned, “Yeah you have. I still feel where you landed on me earlier. I think you broke my sternum.”

Blake absorbed scowls from both Selina and Bruce for that particular comment. He shifted in his seat and busied himself with pulling bread from a loaf that was placed near him.

When the English butler entered, again it became apparent to Blake why Selina looked so supremely sure of herself. It was not Alfred that was the victim of her little ploy. Bruce spoke up and ended the stand-off. “Alfred, I would appreciate it if you would have another place setting brought in for yourself and join us for dinner. It appears my stubborn fiancée is not eating until you are properly stationed at the table.” Alfred opened his mouth to reply and Bruce stopped him with a shift of his shoulders and the lift of his hand. “Alfred, I have no doubt that it would be a thrilling contest to see which of you is indeed the most stubborn, but I would like the competition not to be at the dinner table and not tonight. I’ve had a long day,”

Alfred gave him a small nod, “Very well.” Alfred tried to look put out by the demand but the soft look he gave Selina spoke volumes to how he felt about her request. She accepted the victory graciously with a small look of apology to Alfred and a furtive smile of thanks to her powerful fiancée. Bruce absorbed the look of gratitude as he slid the bowl of soup back in front of her, “You and Alfred need to come to an agreement of terms. I will not have you lapsing into a hunger protest at every meal.”

Selina gave him a smile but instead of acknowledging his demand instead she addressed his admission that his day had been trying, “What happened at work, Bruce? One day of filling in for Fox seems to have put you on edge.”

He nodded as he broke off a piece of bread and swirled it into his soup, “Something like that.”

“Did it have anything to do with the meeting with the delegates from Islamic jihad?”

Bruce rolled his eyes, “They are hardly Islamic Jihad Selina.” He let his mood lighten as her eyes sparkled in amusement. “They are just businessmen concerned with the effect an energy evolution will have on their bottom line.” He smiled, “But I don’t suppose I have to tell you any of that. I’m sure Fox has given you the full run down.”

She shrugged, “Maybe. Fox and I hung out for a few hours today. He told me about some of the meetings you were covering for him.” Selina was singularly focused on his face and Bruce worked to keep his expression neutral.  _This woman of mine... When she gets a hold of something she is relentless_.

“Fox said they were pushing hard to have someone other than Potts appointed to head the negotiations.”

Bruce wiped his lips and tossed his napkin beside his now empty bowl, “That is the long and short of it, yes.”

Selina accepted his curt reply as she allowed her fingers to play with the napkin in her lap. Blake’s interest was piqued enough that he broached a question. “Is their opposition to Pepper just cultural bias or is she really breaking their balls?”

Selina laughed and Bruce’s lips twisted into a wiry smile, “A lot of both if I’m reading things correctly.”

Blake nodded, “That was pretty much the impression the news gave when they were reporting on the progress of the energy initiative yesterday. Reporters were going on and on about the possibilities of your technology replacing fossil fuels and the impact on the world economy. Then they went right into this big piece about the oil conglomerates calling a meeting with Stark Industries last week and were all bent out of shape because Stark wouldn’t see them personally and they had to deal with a female CEO.”

Selina watched Bruce’s face as Blake spoke. She had spent the afternoon with Fox looking at that same expression on his face as he talked of Pepper Potts. A mix of respect and affection that was obvious and endearing. She would have been a liar if she said she didn’t feel more than a pang of jealousy that another woman could put that soft smile on Bruce Wayne’s face, hell she had been put out that Fox had liked her so much. Selina stomped down the unsettling jealousy and consoled herself that she was wearing Bruce Wayne’s diamond and sharing his bed. Pepper Potts was not a threat, she was an ally and a friend to the men Selina held most dear. She needed to suck it up and celebrate the fact Bruce Wayne had someone he respected and trusted the way he did Pepper Potts and not screw it up over petty female rivalries.

Wayne sat back in his chair as the bowls were cleared and plates of fresh pork tenderloin were served. Another setting was placed and Alfred sat down across from Selina. She was the last served as her untouched bowl of soup disappeared onto a tray with Alfred watching on in disapproval. A bowl of Mediterranean Couscous and tomatoes was sat in front of her along with a plate filled with a colorful beet salad.

Alfred gave her an appraising look as he waited for her to begin before he picked up his own fork and with a huff joined them in the meal. With Selina’s first bite the hunger crisis ended allowing Bruce to turn his attention back to Blake. “Did your news report say anything else about the negotiations?”

Blake smiled, “Only that they were so dissatisfied with the proceedings that they jumped on a jet and were headed for Gotham City for a face to face with Fox. “ Blake smiled, “Or you rather.” He chuckled, “My favorite part though was the quote from Potts. Supposedly an insider at Stark Industries told a reporter that Pepper at one point halted the meeting because the Middle Eastern reps were addressing questions to some guy rather than to her.”

Bruce nodded as he swallowed, “That would be Marcus Broyles the vice president of our overseas operations.”

Blake shrugged as the person involved was less of interest to him than the quote from Pepper, “Maybe so, but here is the funny part. Supposedly Pepper halted the meeting and told them that if they chose to disrespect her again by directing a question to her subordinate that she would and this is it, ‘Eighty-six the entire overseas deal and if that happened they had better have a way to turn crude oil into a palatable food source because in five years no one in the world would be using it for fuel anymore.”

Bruce sipped water from his cut crystal glass, “That doesn’t sound like Pepper. She has a little more decorum than that.”

Selina watched him with a critical eye as she called him out, “So they came to Gotham and got their meeting with you today then?”

Bruce sat the glass down and focused on Selina, not liking the disapproval he saw in her earthy brown eyes. “They did.” Selina did not say anything; she just looked at him as if she was waiting for the rest of the story. Bruce lifted his knife and fork and sliced through the tender meat. The juices ran clear onto the heavy white plate. The aroma was tinged with the scent of fresh herbs. Bruce took a bite and chewed slowly savoring the flavor. He finally swallowed, “Give my compliments to the chef, Alfred.”

Alfred who had remained silent until this point finally spoke. “By giving an audience to those men you have set a precedent that undermines Ms. Potts’s authority. They undoubtedly will look to circumvent her at every turn going forward, Master Wayne.”

Bruce took a sample of the scalloped potatoes from his fork and chewed thoughtfully as Alfred made his opinion known. Bruce glanced back at Selina and was not surprised to see her eyes still fixated on him as she waited calmly for his explanation. He gestured to her plate, “Eat up Selina, before it gets cold.”

Selina’s lips showed the barest hint of a smile, “Mine is served chilled.”

Bruce smirked as he cut off another bite of his warm entrée, he paused the fork near his lips, “Something on your mind Selina? Something you want to ask me, perhaps?” His eyes held hers as he took the bite of food into his mouth.

She shook her head and leaned back in her chair, “Just waiting for you to tell us what _really_  happened.” Bruce suppressed another smile and Selina shook her head as her eyes narrowed, “You pulled something today. It is written all over you, Wayne.” She lifted her glass of wine and took a sip as she looked over to Alfred, “Do you believe for a minute that he hung Pepper out to dry like that?” Her eyes flicked back to Bruce roving over his face as she searched out the truth. “You might as well tell us what you did. You are obviously pretty proud of yourself, whatever it was.”

Bruce felt that familiar twist in his chest as he looked at Selina. He sat the heavy silver knife down and took another draw of water before he spoke. “I did meet with them. They were shown to a conference room and Pepper joined us via satellite from California.” He glanced over at Alfred, “We used the video conference room on sixty-eight. You remember that one, don’t you Alfred?”

Alfred’s frown disappeared and the lines lessened across his forehead and then he laughed aloud. Blake paused in mid bite at the unexpected reaction of the normally unflappable butler. It was not just a polite titter from Alfred, it was an out and out hold your belly until tears fell laugh. Selina shared a look of disbelief with Blake as they were obviously not privy to the inside humor that elicited such a reaction from Alfred Pennyworth. Regardless that they were left out of the loop they were both helpless not to smile and laugh along with Alfred. Selina looked back at Bruce and her interest increased as she took in his self-satisfied look. “Alright what’s the joke, Wayne?”

Bruce chuckled as he watched Alfred try to compose himself and fail lapsing into another bout of laughter. Alfred just managed to choke out, “I hope the video feed was in high definition.”

Bruce beamed at his butler, “And surround sound.” Alfred laughed again and nodded his head in approval. Bruce looked at Selina eyes twinkling, “The video conference room on that floor has a flat LED monitor the size of a movie theater screen. Pepper Pots lead the meeting sitting twenty-two feet tall and her voice was carried via Dolby’s speaker system through the conference room. It was one of the high points in my career at WE, watching a room full of Oilmen looking up at that monitor while Pepper Potts told them the future of clean energy. “

Selina watched him relive that moment with them and it hit her again, how much she loved him. She listened proudly as she realized one of the highest points in his career was helping a colleague have a high point in hers. Selina knew the back-story on this from Fox. She had listened to him worry the afternoon away over Pepper and if she would make the decision to stick it out as head of the Energy division. He told Selina that Bruce would be the only person that could have persuaded her to stay. Selina found herself rooting for her hoping that Bruce would be successful in convincing her to stay. The idea of her being forced out of position because of sexist stereotypes and bias disgusted her.

Selina looked at Bruce and the clarity with which she suddenly saw him was nearly painful. His dark hair coiffed perfectly, his strong shoulders set as he braced his forearms against the table edge...the small bead of water that traveled over his finger from the condensation on his glass, the crinkles at the corner of his eyes as he smiled.  _God help me..._ The need she had for him slammed into her and left her breathless and shaky. She swallowed and her throat clicked dryly.

Whatever look she had on her face that moment Bruce read it perfectly. His face darkened when his eyes met hers and his jaw ground for the briefest of moments. He sat the glass on the table and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “We need to get moving. Blake, we still on for the Bowery tonight?”

Blake nodded as he chewed oblivious to the exchange between the couple. Alfred was busy with the server who had entered the room so he missed Bruce’s eyes raking over Selina. She sat up straighter in her chair. Her eyes dilated as she watched Bruce’s reaction. Bruce could feel her need for him from across the table. It became everything he had not to call her over to him. _It was electric, the energy that’s sparking off her._  He shut his eyes for a long second and steeled himself for the effort it would take to make a somewhat civilized exit from the room.

He opened his eyes and inclined his head to the door. It was the smallest of invitations but it spoke volumes to Selina when accompanied by the look in his eyes. They said everything she wanted to hear.  _I need you...now._ Selina felt her lips turn up at the corners as she inhaled deeply. She hoped he received her message as clearly as her eyes flashed, _“I won’t make you late, handsome. Quick and hard.”_

Blake was saying something, but Selina had no idea what it was and just hoped it was not a question directed to her, as she was not fit to answer at this point. She reached for her glass with an unsteady hand and took a long sip of wine to calm her.

Bruce’s voice answered Blake, “They are trying to leverage me against Stark. They know the financial bind that WE is in right now and they brought plenty of money to the negotiations along with promises of very lucrative deals in the future if I were to agree to put the energy initiative on the back burner. When I didn’t bite they came with threats.” He glanced over at Selina startling her out of her erotic daydream, “I don’t mean to rush your recovery Selina, but I am in immediate need your skill set. Security at WE must be tightened. Rework it completely if you feel it necessary. These men are not necessarily to be feared, but with negotiations failing they could quickly become desperate.”

He pushed his plate away as if the thought of food no longer appealed to him. “We are going to need to step up the security at Wayne tower and our local affiliates as well. The system here at the Manor is one of the best I have seen.” He looked at Selina with pride, “We need something comparative on the penthouses and our other properties right away.” Bruce did not miss the look of concern on Alfred’s face. “There has been nothing specific directed at myself or Wayne Enterprises, but I am not taking chances. The safety of my employees and all of you are my first priorities.”

Selina’s face was unreadable as she responded, “I’ve got it.”

Bruce didn’t even have time to register the similarity to Pepper’s acceptance or make another attempt to get her upstairs before a chorus of rings began around the table as everyone’s cell phones began a garbled mix of alerts and alarms. Bruce grabbed his off the table; it was a text from Gordon.  **‘He made his move. Powdery substance found in envelopes mailed to the courthouse. Joker cards found inside. Two clerks and one judge dead.’**

Bruce stood his eyes locking with Blake, “We’re on.”


	11. Chapter 11

Hello all

If you are reading this then you are truly a dedicated follower... that or you are someone that has had the misfortune of stumbling across this update. Either way- welcome ( if you are a new reader you should escape now- otherwise you have a lot of catchup reading to do... (see you back here in a week or so.)

Heck... Maybe that will give me time enough to post the next chapter by the time you get back.

Apologies to everyone for how long they have been taking to get ready. I do have some writing in the bank right now so the next update may come a bit quicker. Anyways- hope everyone enjoys the update- Review and let me know. I miss talking Bat/Cat with you guys!

-Slingblade_

x

x

xx

This was the first solid lead on the Joker since he returned to Gotham. Bruce glanced down at the container next to him that contained a vial of powdered poison that as of yet remained unidentified by GCPD. The coroner had no guess as to what the substance could be. The physical response of the victims was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She admitted this openly to Gordon as her team, encased in full biohazard gear, swept through the courthouse. She had grudgingly parted with a small amount of the substance when prompted by the Batman and supported by Gordon. Her warning concerning the handling of the material still echoed in Bruce’s head as he dropped the vial into a sealed micro analyzer. While he had ultimate faith in Fox’s containment system he still cringed as he removed his cowl and lost the additional defense of its air filtration system.

Bruce quickly removed his suit keeping his gloves on as he deposited the possibly contaminated body suit into a sanitation unit. He tossed the gloves in last and slammed his fist down on the button to initiate the cleansing process. He was mildly frustrated that the four hours put in at the courthouse had yielded little more than what the police had discovered on their own initial sweep. The evidence consisted of three nondescript manila envelopes and the powdery poison they contained. They were postmarked from two days ago from a re-mailing service in Gotham near Grant Park.

The cards were different from any that had been used before by the Joker. A cursory check showed that even though they had a vintage look they were fairly common in origin. One came from an antiquated blue deck of Hoyle, the other two from rustic red decks of Bee and Bicycle playing cards. The figures were illustrated in black and white and while the cards were not commonplace they were retailed commercially world-wide.

Bruce had scanned in their images with a device from his utility belt. The red laser captured both the design as well as satisfying him that the only prints on the powdered surfaces were from the unfortunate victims that had been exposed during the attack.

The rumble of a motor shook the cavern walls and roused Bruce from his deliberation. The Tumbler emerged from the dark tunnel that had been blasted to connect the cave with the Gotham tunneling system. The solid iron door that separated the cave dropped hard to the stone floor and the vehicle rumbled across it and braked to a halt at the base of the platform.

Bruce gave a nod toward the vehicle’s occupant as he disappeared into the showers to remove any lingering traces of the poison.  _Hopefully Blake had better luck in the Bowery than I did at the courthouse._  The younger man had peeled off to follow the weapons dealers marked from the previous night when it became obvious that Bruce had not needed him lurking about in the shadows of the courthouse. They had both agreed that the presence of two Batmen should be kept secret as long as possible. The ability for one another to alibi their private identities made the effort of concealment worthwhile. Blake had already suggested that he would be out in Gotham on the night of the Manor’s unveiling. He and Bruce would be seen in very separate Gotham locals simultaneously. Any suspicions that might have surrounded the simultaneous reappearances of Bruce Wayne and the Batman would be put to rest before they could begin.

When Bruce emerged several minutes later he was wrapped in a dark navy robe and he found Blake sitting at the computer station. The young man had removed his cowl and gloves and was busy working the keyboard.

“New players tonight, Bruce. Someone in particular caught my attention.” Blake punched a few buttons and the feed from his cowl popped up on the monitor. It was night vision but the clarity was perfect. Blake pointed to a group of bikers that had accumulated on the back lot of the strip club where the last two weapons deals had gone down. “There are the skin-heads which are in themselves a complete delight. At least four of them I already identified. I have arrested them before. The usual charges drug possession, weapons and assault. No one really stood out, until our VIP arrived…”

The video feed panned as Blake forwarded through the surveillance and restarted it a normal speed. A white limo pulled to the curb and the door attendant of the seedy strip club rushed to the vehicle. Bruce’s lips curled at the corners “I wondered how long it would take before Oswald made it back to Gotham City.” He toweled his hair dry as he watched the screen.

Blake smirked, “There hasn’t been a sighting of him since the occupation. Now he just suddenly pops up down in the Bowery. Doesn’t feel right. Why now? Why there?”

Bruce watched the man, dapperly dressed in a dark suit, limp lightly into the club, his laboring gate steadied by his ever-present cane. Blake huffed as he clicked off the computer, “Just what we need, and another player in the Bowery mucking things up.”

Throwing the white towel over his shoulder, Bruce shrugged. “He started towing the line. He seemed to be trying to make a go of things as a legitimate businessman. He bought several restaurants and the Vetur Hús”

Blake shook his head, “Bruce, he is as dirty as they come. His wrap sheet is as long as your arm. His so called ‘legit businesses’ were nothing but covers for drug running before the Dent Act. He was lucky he didn’t get swept up in that himself.” Blake stared at the screen, “The only reason he cleaned up his act was because you and Gordon gave him no choice.”

Bruce gave his pupil an amused look before he turned away, “It isn’t a bad thing that I was a deterrent to crime Blake. That was kind of the whole point of the Batman. Besides, we can’t prosecute people for what we have no proof they did in their past anymore than we can for what they  _might_  do in the future. But we can keep an eye on him. If he dips his toes into the pool again we will be there to take him down.”

The guidance offered by his mentor seemed to suffice as Blake shut off the video feed. They shared a small recap of what had happened independently of one another and Bruce turned to take his leave. He was anticipating another grueling day and he needed what little sleep he could manage to salvage from the night that remained. It would be three hours if he was lucky, four if he skipped Blake’s morning session. Bruce nearly told Blake they would have to miss when he stopped himself.

 _The entire point of coming back to Gotham was to ready Blake. I will be damned if that is where I cut time._ He ran a hand through his hair and nearly growled. The thought of sacrificing time with Selina was equally unpalatable. The only other place he could pull from was Wayne Enterprises. It had proved virtually impossible to let things go there right now. Bruce had an overwhelming sensation of claustrophobia suddenly descend upon him. He recognized the feeling immediately. He used to get that way in the beginning as he was training has body and mind to handle the confines of the suit. Now it came to him in the open expanses of the cave with him shrouded by only a thin silk robe. The overwhelming pressure came not from the suit but from the weight of the responsibilities that came from it.  _Gotham’s reconstruction…Blake’s training.. recovering Wayne Enterprises...the Joker capture...Selina_

He struggled to draw a deeper breath. _Selina...how dare I think of her as a burden...as some kind of obligation. She has done everything in her power to be anything but a hindrance._ He wiped a hand over his brow.  _Even the others...Blake hadn’t asked me to come back...Fox hadn’t asked for help at WE..._ He was doing this to himself...allowing the Joker to create the sense of unease that was plaguing him now...eating away at his patience...disturbing his already limited sleep...driving him harder...chipping away at his emotional resolve... He tightened his hand around the steel support as he fought against the assault of his memories. _Harvey Dent…the Joker...Rachel._

Blake’s voice reached him and he turned and very nearly stumbled as he made his way back to the computer. His mind had only registered one word, Selina. Blake punched up a screen and there was an icon glowing red down in the corner of the screen. It was a symbol in the shape of a paw print. Bruce cursed under his breath. “She went out. Damn it, I knew she would.”

When Blake clicked to maximize, there were two links revealed; one to a video feed and one to a PDF document. Blake relinquished his seat and Bruce took over commanding the computer screens. He pulled up the word file first. Blake held off the removal of his armor anticipating that once they knew her location they would be heading out again. Selina had proven her ability to handle herself, but she was not a hundred percent. He tried not to hover as Bruce read the message.

_-Hope you two had a safe and productive evening. I am at WE having a look at your security system. Get some sleep- we can discuss things when you get into the office later-_

_SK-_

_PS Stop worrying tough guy...and since I know you won’t wait until morning I linked your computer to my video feed._

Bruce relaxed marginally in the chair as he punched up the live security video of Wayne Enterprises. Blake watched as Bruce intentionally avoided the link provided by Selina on the server. He smiled as he realized what Bruce was doing. If he had accessed the feed off her glasses, she would have been alerted to the uplink. Bruce was instead scanning the security system itself remotely, as he looked for the elusive Catburgler.

Blake paused with his hand on the utility belt around his waist, “Do you want me to go down there? Just in case she gets into trouble.”

Bruce glanced over at him and shook his head. “It’s my building. She will only be in as much trouble as she creates for herself. Unfortunately that always seems to be a substantial amount.”

Blake laughed as he released himself from the confines of the suit. He watched as Bruce searched through the various video cameras. There were fourteen guards armed with tazers and flashlight carrying radios that patrolled the building. They conducted roving patrols, utilizing motion sensors, and thermal imaging to scan for intruders. Bruce had started his scan on the top executive offices dropping level by level until he paused on the video back for the 63rd floor. He zoomed in on a guard sitting at a desk. Blake’s eyes narrowed as the clarity of the display showed the man from behind as he faced a bank of video monitors. Blake thought for a moment that Bruce might have caught motion on one of the cameras.

Closer inspection showed it was the guard himself that caught Bruce’ attention. Their identity was obscured as the person had their back turned away from the camera mounted over their station. That camera’s function was to pickup images in the hall coming toward the guard station but Bruce was altering its alignment. He dropped the camera down to the guard and the details clarified. The heavy jacket and hat obscured any identifiable image of the man himself, but items on the desk became visible. A black bag, laptop and a pair of sunglasses were plainly visible. Blake saw the flash off the person’s right hand.  _A ring...Selina Kyle’s ring._

Blake chuckled, “Busted.”

Bruce wondered for a moment if Blake had directed the comment at the woman in the monitor or at him for the chair swiveled and Selina Kyle looked squarely into the camera and grinned.

When Bruce had taken control of the camera Selina Kyle had just been ready to head up to the executive levels above. She noticed the security camera zooming in on her position and she quickly scanned the other guard stations. None of the guard were on alert and none were operating the video feeds. She watched the monitor over her desk with a smile as the camera zoomed in on her right hand. The massive diamond winked as she tapped her fingers on the tabletop.  _Bruce Wayne, you are too smart for your own good._

Selina fought back a moment of guilt at him having caught her prowling through his building when he had likely thought she was waiting at home like a dutiful ‘wife to be’. She smirked at the thought. _He should know better. He is lucky I came here instead of going on my own into the Bowery._ She flexed her left hand and the sharp pain that flared quelled the frustration she had at Bruce for leaving her behind. _He was not wrong... I would have been a liability._ She soothed her bruised ego with a sly look at the camera and a flirty smile. She turned back to the computer monitors and watched as the guards on level 8, 23, and 57 stood at their posts. They had seen her face, the gig was up. Selina sighed as she shrugged off the oversized security jacket allowing it to drop down beside the handcuffed man at her feet. “Well Eli, they are on their way up. I don’t suppose you would mind telling them I actually work for Bruce Wayne and that this is a test of the security system would ya?”

He barked a reply through the tape that was secured across his lips. Selina could not be completely sure but she believed she had earned a ‘fuck you’. “Indeed I seem to be rightly screwed at the moment, Eli,” she responded flatly. Selina snapped off his security badge and entered the stairwell. Wayne security protocol dictated that all elevators lock down during a security breach and all stairwells required security override. She jogged up the stairs. With no one between her and the executive levels she was home free. She stopped a level below the senior executives and entered the lobby through the west stairwell. She ran down the center of the hall knowing that the motion detectors and cameras were now catching her every move. She paused at a corner office and kicked in the door. The lock held strong but the soft wood of the jam was obliterated by the strike of her booted foot.

Bruce had already called the front desk and told them of the status of the intruder. The GCPD response was recalled and the pursuing security officers advised that this was a training exercise. When they arrived at the door of the office they called out to her using her name and stating that Mr. Wayne was on the line and the exercise was concluded. Selina never heard the announcement as she had ascended through the ceiling tiles into the crawl space between the floors. Seconds later she dropped into the office of the Treasurer of Wayne enterprises. She spent the next fifteen minutes copying files from the woman’s hard drive into an encrypted email that was then sent directly to Bruce Wayne. Selina was careful to omit several numbers of the accounts and listed all of the passwords as Selina Kyle. It was enough that she had made it this far into the shop.

Her comlink opened and a direct connection to the Batcave showed active. She knew either Bruce or Blake was now watching her progress first hand through her glasses. She pocketed the disk she utilized to effect the computer override. She was no computer hacker but she knew people. One phone call earlier that evening and she was in possession of a ciphering program that broke down the algorithms used to generate the passwords on the WE server.

She would have likely remained in the building undisturbed for hours more had she not picked up the direct dial call into the woman’s office. Bruce’s voice held a note of humored annoyance when he spoke. “Turn on your mic Selina. We aren’t receiving your audio.”

Selina gave a throaty laugh, “You aren’t receiving my audio handsome because I am not making any sounds.”

There was a loud bang at the door, “Open up. We know you are in there. This is over!” The frustration in the voices of the responding officers brought Selina to her feet.

“Calm down boys just a little training exercise.” Her voice dropped lower, “Tell them Bruce.”

He gave a soft laugh, “Sorry kitten, now my audio doesn’t seem to be working.” The comlink silenced and Selina realized he had disconnected. She laughed aloud as the security team stormed the office.

x

Bruce watched silently as Selina offered up her hands and she was pushed down over the desk. Her camera feed broke up as the glasses were snatched off her head, he caught bits of twisting video as her belt, and glasses were dropped on the desk. He could see clearly a hand pressing her head to the desk as handcuffs were slipped onto her writs. He did not miss the grimace of pain as her injured arm received less than gentle handling. Bruce tensed, “Fox, are you in contact with the men or aren’t you?”

Lucius’s voice sounded over the speakers, “I am Mr. Wayne. Head of building security is on his way up.”

Selina was hauled to her feet and Bruce watched as they moved her out into the man office area. Security cameras there followed her movements, as she was lead to a sofa in the waiting area. She was deposited firmly onto a couch. As she dropped, she slid the cuffs down the back of her legs slipping them around her booted heels. It was such a fluid motion that it almost seemed that her hands had always been secured in front of her.

“Jesus,” Blake breathed out, “Broken arm or not, that was smooth.”

Bruce ground his jaw and remained silent.

Selina sat quietly as the security team milled around her talking among each other and barking into their radios. Despite the commotion, she managed to look bored and disinterested. A few seconds later a harried man entered the floor and Bruce explained his appearance to Blake. “Riley Hutchens.”

Blake nodded, “Your  _former_  head of security?”

Bruce’s jaw tensed, “He is security head for Wayne Tower. Whether he keeps his position after this will be up to Selina. She will be evaluating the current systems and personnel in my facilities and making recommendations.” Bruce stood as Selina’s hands were uncuffed, “You need to get some sleep Blake. We will be back at it in a few hours and I need to be into the shop on time. It looks to be an eventful day.”

xx

Alfred woke Bruce as they pulled in front of Wayne Enterprises. The younger man had slept the entire commute. Alfred had taken his time in navigating the streets of Gotham electing to take the most heavily traveled route to the shop. He yielded to merging vehicles and otherwise extended the drive to the best of his abilities. It had taken them nearly an hour and when they finally arrived, he contemplated circling the building until Bruce woke of his own accord. Knowing the schedule that Bruce faced was the only thing that stopped him from doing just that.

Despite the additional sleep, Bruce looked haggard as he stalked through the lobby. He rubbed at his eyes and his shoulders were slumped. He entered a held elevator giving a tired nod to the lobby attendant. As the doors slid shut none other than Selina Kyle slipped through the doors. She was dressed smartly in a skirted business suit that stopped just short of a modest length on her thigh, hitting her sculpted legs well above her knee. The dark navy fabric was tailored and nipped at the waist. It covered a buttery yellow silk blouse that dipped alluringly between her breasts.

Seeing her was like receiving a shot of adrenalin. Bruce snapped straight and was only just able to brace himself before his arms were filled with her and he was forced against the rear of the elevator. Bruce offered no resistance to her handling as she kissed him deeply. The faint scent of her perfume teased his nose as her long wave of hair fanned against his cheek. Her hands were inside his jacket sliding intimately up his back as they kissed.

He was content to lose himself in the unexpected reunion. The feel of her mouth slipping against his dissolved his oppressive fatigue if only momentarily. She finally broke away from him at the 52nd floor. By 61 his suit jacket was buttoned again, by 67 the lipstick smudge removed from his lips with a firm swipe of her thumb...by the executive level they were standing apart facing one another with matching looks of amusement and longing.

Bruce found his voice as the doors opened, “Good morning to you, kitten.”

Selina smiled as he stepped off the elevator. She remained inside following him with only her eyes, “Good morning to you handsome.” Her smile deepened as he turned to face her, his hands dropped in the pocket of his slacks in a subtle attempt to conceal his physical response to their reunion. “Mr. Wayne, I have a two o’clock with you to discuss the security of your building. I trust you will be  _up_  for it.”

Bruce chuckled and nodded, “Apparently I will. It will be the highlight of my day, Ms...” His eyes sparkled as he stopped short of using her surname. “When, exactly, are we going to finally do something about that last name of yours?”

Her smile as she leaned against the wall of the elevator stayed with him as he piled through the responsibilities of the day... as did her answer to his question. As the doors of the elevator slipped shut, she mouthed the word...  _‘Soon’._

_Xxx_

Bruce sat back into his chair and cleared the small stack of folders into a drawer at his knee as he answered into the intercom, “Set it up for tomorrow. I will be breaking out of here on time tonight” He made that bold declaration as Selina entered his office. Riley Hutchens, the head of tower security, followed her. Bruce nodded at them both directing them over to the sitting area in the corner of his office. The heather grey sofa and chairs were modern and the look was furthered by the ultra sleek steel and glass tables that bookended them.

Selina shook her head, “Conference room. We have more people coming.”

Bruce’s brow furrowed, but he nodded that he understood. Selina gave him a wink and disappeared leaving him to conclude his business. Fox and the top two executives at WE were already standing together in the corner of the room as Bruce entered. He nodded his greeting and walked purposefully to Selina. She was standing with the ranking security officer and a nervous Hutchens. At Wayne’s entrance, the remaining board members began taking their seats around the large oval table.

Selina felt his hand low on her back and she stiffened reflexively at the familiar intimacy of his touch.

Bruce felt her muscles tighten under his hand and her reaction to his touch kicked off something inside him.  _It is not going to be this way…I am not hiding this. I am not wasting our time together pretending we are something we are not...or worse yet treating you like someone other than the most important person in my life._

All of this flashed in his mind as her muscles hardened under his hand and a second later he ended any possibility of a charade that would conceal their relationship. His lips brushed hers in a soft kiss before he collected her hands in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Several of the board members shared looks of surprise and the movement in the room stilled for a moment before the employees of Wayne Enterprises collected themselves and returned to the business at hand.

The surprise in Selina’s eyes looked like it could quickly deteriorate into panic. Bruce stepped back and gave her some space, but he held her hands, keeping her from pulling away from him as he spoke. His voice was quiet, “I hide enough of myself from the world Selina. I won’t hide you.” His thumb brushed over the stone of her engagement ring, “I won’t hide this.” His eyes searched her face, “Don’t ask me to.”

Her eyes softened and she nodded, “Well you have certainly made your point Wayne. I guess you might as well introduce me to your team.”

Bruce smiled down at her and there was no mistaking the pleasure and pride in his face when he nodded, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Fox appeared at Selina’s side and kissed her on her cheek as he pulled out a chair for her and gave her a supportive smile. He noted her look of relief when he took the chair next to her. Fox’s assistant, Primrose, placed a bottle of water on the table for her and patted her shoulder reassuringly. Selina found herself relaxing in spite of the alien situation that she had found herself a part of.

Selina watched as Bruce took control of the room, feeling the draw of his personality as he addressed the group. He had a commanding presence and every movement of his body seemed to telegraph his power and magnetism. She found herself holding her breath as he stopped and directed his gaze to her. She held his eyes and guarded against the physical reaction her body attempted to display while he introduced her to the board. She heard her name and nearly smiled as he seemed to have to make himself say the name Kyle. When he introduced her he had included the title of security director. She was almost disappointed he had not just announced their engagement as he had made it resoundingly apparent by his actions that they were involved.

She stood and he gave her a smile as he brushed her arm with his as they passed.

Selina finally remembered to breathe as she scanned the table. Expectant faces greeted her and she realized that as honest as Bruce intended to be about their relationship she would always be hiding who she was…pretending to be something, she wasn’t to fit into this world of his. Gotham was a big city and it had a memory. She had lived her life here doing things that didn’t cease to exist just because the government chose to turn a blind eye.

This had been gnawing away at her for so long that it was not a surprise that the familiar angst at her past reared its head as she faced the Wayne Enterprise board.  _Choices…life was full of them...the bad thing about them is you have to live with them forever…. You had to live with them and so did everyone else_. She had thought about nothing else all day as she worked with the head of tower security.  _He treated me like a trusted professional…he had no idea what I really am…none of these people do. When it comes out and it will, the blowback would land on more than just me._ She looked at Bruce and her decision was made.  _If you are not going to hide anymore Bruce than neither am I._

“Good afternoon. I appreciate you all taking the time to meet with me here today. You were called to this meeting to address a pressing security concern. Before we get into the specifics of that I think you might need to hear a little more about me and what qualifies me to take the position of Director of Security for Wayne Enterprises,” Selina looked at Bruce, “Other than my personal relationship with Bruce Wayne, that is.”

Selina gave Bruce a grin and he just stared evenly back. Selina looked around the room, “Frankly _nothing_  qualifies me to be a security  _director_ , but I am uniquely qualified as a  _consultant_.” She paused for the briefest of moments before continuing, “I am qualified to consult on the security of your installation because I am in fact a thief. A thief that broke into this very installation last night.” Selina let the message land with the board as many a confused look passed among the members.

She glanced at Bruce and was not surprised by his lack of reaction to her words. She continued on, “I would like to tell you I am a reformed thief, but  _reforming thief_ might be a more apt description. My criminal record has been expunged and thanks to Mr. Hutchen’s intervention last night I am not currently being investigated for any criminal activity.” Light laugher came at her statement and even the distressed security director seemed to relax.

Selina looked around the room her face mildly defiant. “But records notwithstanding, I am, by trade, a thief.” Her eyes surveyed the board. Several of them shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the direction that she was taking them. “I tell you this not only in the interest of disclosure, but also because I think it will help explain the video you are about to see.”

Bruce watched her silently, his eyes only leaving her briefly as he looked at Fox.

The CEO shrugged at Bruce’s raised brow before using the remote to drop the lights and start the video footage of the break-in. The video played out on the large TV monitor behind her. Selina stepped to the side and the Wayne Board watched the edited feed that showed her entry into the building and infiltration into the executive offices. As the video played, Primrose circled the table handing each of the team a red folder. Several of the executives opened their folders and the color drained from their faces.

The video concluded with Selina Kyle being pulled out of the Treasury office where security officers finally detained her.

She began speaking before the lights returned, “I was on WE premises for two hours and forty-three minutes before being detected by security.” She gave Bruce a haughty look, “ Infront of all of you is the information I obtained from your individual areas of responsibility: bank codes, routing numbers, personnel lists, stock information, merger and acquisitions records, government contract bids and confidential weapons designs.” She glanced around at the stricken employees and she gave them a moment to process what had happened as they slept the night before.

The head of building security sat rigid in his seat looking grimly at the frozen image of Selina on the computer screen. She shut off the monitor and faced them all squarely, “The IT department has began high level encryption of each of your WE computer accounts. This will need to be extended to each of your personal computers and smart phones as well. Anyone not utilizing a WE satellite phone will need to convert your tech by the end of business today.”

There was no push back on her request or her method of assessing the security system, but she justified herself anyway, “I know that this must feel like an invasion to many of you, but better to have the system exposed for what it is now than face the very real repercussions of another data theft perpetrated against your company.”

The woman Selina recognized as the director of treasury spoke, “If you were in the building with free access to all of our offices you could have done more than just manipulate the computer systems. What about the physical threat you’ve exposed by gaining entry? After the attempts on our facilities in San Diego this is very concerning.”

Selina gave her a nod of agreement, “Securing a building the size of Wayne tower is a challenge. The system in place is good, but it had flaws. There are improvements to the physical security of the building that are being implemented as we speak. By the end of next week even more security measures will be in place. This will take adjustment on your end to accomplish. Security personnel will be evaluating the camera systems and making alterations to the surveillance system. You will need to allow extra time to enter and exit the building as access will be limited and controlled going forward. The levels above fifty will be a closed campus requiring security authorization for entry. “

Selina responded to several more questions answering with fluid, well articulated responses.

Fox gave Bruce a look of supreme satisfaction. Bruce favored Fox with a side-glance acknowledging his own approval. A question regarding her appointment arose. It was an innocent enough inquiry as to what would the scope of her duties as Director of the security division would entail. Selina gave Bruce a guarded look. “That is an excellent question. I had hoped to have a discussion off-line regarding this very matter with Mr. Wayne, but sadly face time with the owner of Wayne Enterprises is extremely difficult to obtain.”

The board responded with amusement as it was obvious Selina had more personal access to the owner than anyone. Selina felt a small blush heat her face, “Actually this may be the best place to tell him what I have to say. I have safety in numbers here.” Another titter of laugher accompanied her allusion to their personal relationship.

Selina looked over at Bruce, “After considering your offer Mr. Wayne, I’m afraid I can’t accept the position as Director of Security. I will assist in the implementation of your new system but I cannot accept permanent employment status.” Selina smiled, “I think I would better serve you and your organization a different capacity. As a consultant perhaps.” Selina held his gaze as Fox slipped a file to his employer. “Mr. Fox and I do however have a recommendation for the position. Someone that would have you and your companies’ best interest at heart.”

Bruce held the file beneath his palm, “Someone that will have my best interest at heart? More so than even you, Ms. Kyle?” Bruce’s challenge was obviously dipped in personal innuendo and his employees looked on with amused interest as he seemed content to follow Selina’s lighthearted lead in the discussion.

Selina smiled knowingly before she answered, “Certainly not more so than I, but I’d say he is a pretty close second. He also has a more… _traditional_  relationship within the Criminal Justice system.”

Bruce shook his head as the laughter erupted at Selina self-deprecating humor. She had laid herself bare in front of the board and they seemed to love her for it. He opened the folder and looked down at the contents. Selina could see from her vantage point across the table that it contained a photograph attached to the front file flap. She saw the subtle nod that Bruce gave Fox and she visibly relaxed. She flicked her long hair over her shoulder, “My recommendation notwithstanding, I am available to consult on an as needed basis.” She gave him a wink, “I might even extend you the family and friends discount.”

Fox stood and took control of the meeting, “While Mr. Wayne considers his personnel options I will take you all through the timelines.”

Fox began to go into detail explaining the procedures for acquiring access to the newly encrypted data. Selina dropped into her seat and her eyes flashed over to her fiancé. He sat back in his chair silently watching her, his finger curled over his lips as his thumb supported his jaw. Selina felt her cheeks heat and only by force of will did she not visibly squirm in her chair _. Thank God I won’t have to face interactions like these every day_. She could have kissed Fox on the mouth earlier when he had supported her idea of bringing Blake into the position Bruce had earmarked for her.

She felt Bruce watching her and she again chanced a look. He remained silent but he had an understanding in his eyes that alleviated some of the guilt she had been carrying.

When the boardroom finally cleared out, Selina and Bruce were left sitting at the table facing one another. Bruce’s hand hovered over the folder, his finger tracing the paperclip as he watched her silently. Selina settled back in her chair and waited for him to speak. Bruce gave another shake of his head, as he stood taking the folder with him. “I would have enjoyed spending my days working here with you, Selina. The possibility that I might have captured a moment with you throughout the day made the thought of being here more tolerable. I must say, I don’t like that you have taken that possibility away from me.”

Selina drummed her fingers on the wooden surface, “You can’t really disagree with my decision. You can’t hire a thief to head your security division, Bruce. It would have taken the press five minutes to discover who I was and what my past included. They would have crucified you.”

Bruce was unreadable as he stopped in front of her. A light tapping came from the door as it swung slowly open, a nervous cough came and was followed by a timid, “Excuse me. “ A middle-aged man paused in the doorway flushed brightly as he realized he had likely interrupted a private interaction between the owner of Wayne Enterprises and his significant other.

He entered at Wayne’s beckoning. “Mr. Simmons, what can I help you with?”

“Ah, actually, Mr. Wayne, I had a question for, Ms. Kyle.”

Selina raised a brow and gave Bruce a confused look, “Sure. What can I do for you?”

He cleared his throat and continued on, “You ah mentioned that you work as a security consultant. My wife is a curator for the Gotham Museum of Arts. They have had major issues with the security system there. She has been unable to get authorization to move back the more expensive works that were salvaged during the occupation. Would it be possible for me to give her your name? You might be just the person she needs to evaluate what needs to be done to shore up their security enough to satisfy the new insurance providers.

Selina’s brow wrinkled and her mouth opened and closed in silent disbelief before she heard Bruce’s voice. “Perhaps Selina could contact your wife directly and arrange a time to evaluate the facility. Do you have her contact information? “

He nodded at Bruce while quickly digging into his jacket pocket. He produced a business card, which he handed to the owner of WE.

Selina finally found her voice, “You heard what I said earlier. What my background is...why on Earth would you ever recommend me for…” her voice trailed off as the man smiled down at her obviously confused by her question.

“Last night you had in your hand over fourteen million dollars in securities from my division alone. I think the fact that the money is still here speaks to you having earned the designation of  _reformed thief_.” He glanced over at Bruce as if to reassure the owner of Wayne Enterprises that his faith had not been misplaced. He addressed his next question to Selina, “Can I let her know to be expecting your call then?”

Selina nodded and he took his leave of them, shutting the door securely behind him. Selina looked up at Bruce and she shook her head in wonder, “What just happened?”

Bruce trailed a finger over her jaw, “I think my little thief just turned burglary into a legitimate business venture.”

Selina laughed up at him. “So they would  _pay_  me to break into their own museum?” Her incredulous laugh was her only response to the situation.

“Actually, kitten, I think they would be paying you so other people  _can’t_  break into the museum. “

Selina stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt her heeled foot slid up his pant leg and hook behind his thigh, “Semantics, Wayne. They would be paying me to steal.”

Bruce laughed as she kissed him, “It is a crazy world we live in, kitten.” He relaxed his jaw and her tongue slipped into his mouth as she deepened the kiss. His hand roved lower settling at her hip as he reminded himself that sex was off the table.

Selina’s touch reminded him why that was such an unfortunate fact as she rubbed against him and nipped at his lip. “I’ve wanted to do this ever since the elevator.” She whispered the words against his mouth and he responded by pulling her tighter against him.

“Tease.” He growled at her as she kissed him again.

Selina smiled and worried at his lower lip with her teeth, “It’s nice to finally have you all to myself even if it is for only a minute.”

Bruce held her against him as her lips slipped against his and his control was tested. The feel of her hair tangled in his hand gave him a heady, possessive rush. He held her tightly as he ground himself against her allowing his body to find the friction he needed. She let out a soft moan and he pushed her away letting his eyes roam down her body and then back up to her face before he released her and stepped purposefully away.

Selina straightened her skirt and smoothed her hair back, her chest rising and falling quickly as she reined in her passion. Bruce took in the sight of her and shut his eyes and dropped back his head. “You should probably go.”

Selina swallowed hard and nodded as she stepped away from him toward the door. “Yeah I probably should.”

His eyes opened at the sound of her heels on the tile floor and his hand tightened on the file until the folder collapsed in his hand.

He stayed rigid as she walked away from him, his eyes raking her figure from the defiant set of her shoulders down to the flexing muscles of her calves. “You realize this is what you are giving up don’t you?” Selina stopped and faced him, her hand balanced on the door handle. “You realize why I offered you a position here at Wayne Enterprises was for this very reason. Seeing you throughout the day…turning a corner and finding you standing there…hearing your voice as I walk into a room.”

Her jaw clenched as she leaned against the door.

“That’s what this was Selina….Me laying everything I have out for you...trying to secure time with you and you threw it back in my face. Threw away another opportunity to be with me like it didn’t matter to you at all. You know what it’s like trying to find time with one another.” She watched him as he stepped away from the table and walked toward the window. “Do you need me begging Selina? Begging for whatever scrap of time that you are willing to offer?”

Selina leaned against the door and she looked as if she was considering her response. His looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes met hers defiantly as he licked his lower lip, still throbbing from her earlier attention, “If you want me begging Selina, just say the word. After all you have had me on my knees in an Armani suit before.”

Selina swallowed hard, “Now who’s the tease?”

Bruce’s turned to face her, his eyes hardening as he gave into his body’s demand, “I think you better lock that door, Selina.”

She smirked, “You’re not the boss of me, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce cocked his head, “That’s a point you seem intent on driving home today, kitten.”

Selina looked at him thoughtfully, “Mixing business with pleasure isn’t always a good thing, Bruce. Appointing your fiancée to an executive position in your company had disaster written all over it. But...I’d imagine no one would care if I rented an office in your building.” Selina licked her lip and gave him an appeasing look, “I could still be close. Just a few floors lower than you originally intended.” Her eyes turned predatory, “If I am remembering correctly, you never seem to mind having me  _under_  you before, Bruce.”

Bruce’s eyes sparked like flint on rock, “Lock the door, Selina.”

Her hand fell to the handle and she gave him a regretful shake of her head, “You are already late for your next meeting, Wayne. See you tonight.” He was crossing the room as she spoke so she slipped quickly from the room, pulling the door shut behind her. It was enough to buy a few precious seconds and ensure her escape.

Bruce jerked open the door and watched in frustration as Selina strode through the bustling office toward the elevators. He looked down at the file in his hand as the young blonde haired administrative assistant to his Projects Acquisitions exec passed. Bruce stopped him, “Can you get this file to personnel. Let them know I want this man hired immediately as director of the Security Division. Everything they need is included in this file.”

The young man was more than happy to see to the task as it had become commonplace among the executive assistants that Wayne was to be supported by them collectively. After the occupation, Bruce Wayne had become a constant presence in the office, but had to this point still refused to have his own personal assistant appointed. Instead, the assistants servicing the board shared his workload. They worked together to address his various requests and maintain his calendar. It was good exposure for them and it gave Wayne a chance to meet and work with dozens of Wayne Enterprise employees.

Bruce retreated into his office and resigned himself back to business. In the back of his mind, he was steadily working on the evidence that had been left at the Joker crime scene. Shortly before lunch Fox had contacted him with the information gathered from the chemical analysis. The results had been a surprise to both of them.

Analysis of the powder had revealed the presence of peptides, an organic agent. Further analysis showed a direct link to a marine mollusk, a type of predatory sea snail. The poison was quick acting; the three victims had died within fifteen minutes of exposure. The real twist was that the venom had been taken from its natural injectable liquid state and reduced and isolated into powdered form. Fox described the process as ‘spray drying’. During a particularly dry conference call, Bruce had educated himself on the process; discovering that spray drying was an industrial method that involved spraying the liquid with a heated gas. The resulting effect caused the poison to quickly dry out and form the lethal component of the powder they recovered. There had been traces of nitrogen found on the particles so it was a safe assumption that it was nitrogen gas that had been used in the process.

Fox had spoken to the rarity of availability on the venom as well as the ability to distill it in the manner necessary to create such a compound. This left Bruce a logical avenue to pursue as he tried to determine where the poison originated. There was another clue that had come with the last molecular compound found in the sample. Fox had circled the hexagon pattern on the readout. It indicated the molecular structure of a plant protein.

Bruce had heard the statements of the witness first hand. Descriptions of how the victims seemed to be having psychotic breaks. Shrieking hysterically as they battled away unseen aggressors. One of the women had run blindly into a wall. Dying from cerebral hemorrhage before the toxin had time to take her life. The effects sounded all too familiar to Bruce and he had found himself anticipating a link to Scarecrow’s fear toxin.

There was a link to a plant, but it wasn’t to the Himalayan poppy it was  _Salvis divinorum_  - Seer’s sage. A psychoactive plant indigenous to Mexico. The plant was known for its ability to induce dissociative effects including hallucinations. Bruce had familiarized himself with the specifics on the plant including the region of its origin in southeastern Mexico where it typically grew in the shady moisture of the cloud forest. The conference call had concluded with his mumbled agreement to the proposal and he had remained on the computer searching for flights into the region. He found the local airport was serviced by Aeromexico with direct flights out of Houston, Texas.

Bruce had just signed three authorizations forms for the logistics division and was in the middle of reading a proposal from the Research division to expand the facility in Peoria when a knock came from his door. He did not recognize the young, brown-haired woman with the heart-shaped face, but she didn’t look old enough to have graduated college. Bruce pegged her for an intern that he had yet to acquaint himself. She entered the office and gave him a bright smile. Her confidence seemed to eclipse her youth and he found himself oddly intrigued. He sat back, closing the lid of the computer protecting the sensitive information it contained.

“Good afternoon Mr. Wayne. We haven’t met yet. I am Tabitha Wagner. I work for what was formerly Donovan Marketing Group.” She tugged at her glasses as she ventured a few steps further into his office. “I hope you will pardon the intrusion. I have been in contact with Lucius Fox regarding your Marketing campaign and he suggested I might better be served by stopping by rather than trying to find an open time on your calendar.”

Bruce sighed as he stood, “Ms. Wagner, while it is a pleasure to meet any new member of the Wayne Organization, I don’t believe we have anything to discuss and my schedule really is packed at the moment.”

“My apologies again, Mr. Wayne, but I have been tasked with a specific aspect of your marketing program. It is one of a personal nature. A public relations aspect if you will.” She was talking fast because Bruce Wayne was steadily moving toward her with the obvious intention of removing her from his office. “Mr. Wayne I know you are not fully bought in to this whole PR program. Mr. Fox made that very clear, but regardless I feel like I can really do a service for you as you move through the next stages of your relationship with Ms. Kyle.”

Bruce stopped at the mention of Selina. The young woman continued quickly, “It seems like from your earlier interaction with the board that you two are almost ready to go public with your relationship. Congratulations on that, Mr. Wayne.” She shuffled her files, “I will have to do a little work revamping our approach now that Ms. Kyle will not be accepting the position as your security director. I must admit from a PR angle that is going to be much easier to sell to the public.”

Bruce watched her warily as this unknown woman spoke to aspects of his personal life that he had not considered topic for public consumption. “Now while the disclosure of her criminal past was doubtlessly a shock to your team. I applaud you both for realizing that full disclosure was indeed the right choice. Better we own it than attempt to cover it and have TMZ or a rag like The Inquirer break the story.”

She paused for a moment and tilted her head to the side, openly appraising the billionaire, “It was actually brilliantly executed by Ms. Kyle if you don’t mind my personal opinion. She was quite fearless. With a woman like her you almost don’t have a need for me.” She laughed uneasily, “However, you do in fact  _need me_ , Mr. Wayne.” She watched him carefully, “Word is that the two of you are serious…very serious if that ring on her finger is any indication.”

She straightened her glasses, as the piercing look she was enduring threatened to break her resolve. “How the news of your involvement and your subsequent engagement with Ms. Kyle is discovered will impact Gotham’s perception of you, Mr. Wayne. It will impact Wayne Enterprises financially and Ms. Kyle personally as well.” Tabitha backed away from Bruce as he stalked closer, “Gotham will either celebrate its first son’s marriage or the media will villainize her. “

Bruce’s jaw tensed, “My personal relationship is not up for public debate.”

The young woman nodded, “No sir, I didn’t mean to imply that it was, but the reality is, if news of this breaks badly it will have a negative impact on your relationship.” Her eyes held a look of regret as she knew that she was forcing him to face difficult truths, “You have a chance to get ahead of this now, Mr. Wayne. You can protect her. We can control the information and use it to your advantage.”

Bruce eyed her warily, “I’m not keen on exploiting my fiancée to further the advancement of Wayne Enterprises, Ms. Wagner. If you have pegged me as that type of business man than you are mistaken.”

She shook her head, “No, Mr. Wayne. In fact I think the media may have had you pegged wrong this entire time. I mean you haven’t helped matters with the way you have conducted yourself.” She blushed beet red and stuttered out an explanation, “I mean you know the disappearing acts, the empty-headed arm candy, burning down your...”

She gulped for air and looked quickly over at his desk and the stacks of files that neatly covered the surface. It was an obvious testament to the workload that he was shouldering, “It seems to me like Gotham really doesn’t know who Bruce Wayne is now. They don’t know the man that is working so hard to save this city.” She nodded encouragingly, “I would like the opportunity to introduce them to the man Bruce Wayne has become.”

Bruce glanced over at the desk and then returned his heavy gaze to the woman standing in his doorway, “You think I’m different from what I used to be?” His baited question hung between them.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” She offered that fact bluntly. “Frankly I never cared for you before, Mr. Wayne. I thought you were a pompous jackass; a playboy intent on spending through his inheritance on sports cars and silicone women. I was wrong.” She handed him a file and continued as he opened it and flipped through the breakdown of WE business. “I have been studying you Mr. Wayne, you  _are_  different than you were before. The occupation changed Gotham. It only stands to reason that it maybe it has changed you too.”

Bruce looked uncomfortable and Tabitha tried to put him at ease, “I’ve been studying you…not  _stalking_  you.” She blushed, “Not really, I mean. I’m not obsessed or anything. Although when I’m working I do get a  _little_  obsessive.” Her blue eyes blinked up at him, “I know about the ring. I know the story behind it. What you did for those miners.” She looked at him with respect, “I also know that you are very much in love with your fiancée even though you haven’t announced your relationship publicly. You love her enough that you weren’t afraid to use your influence to get her cleared of her legal issues.”

She held out two photos to him. They were of him and Selina. Bruce recognized them from the day they went shopping for Christmas presents. The photo was taken as they were standing in front of FAO Schwarz, both holding bags filled with gifts for Meghan. Bruce’s face darkened.

“I pulled these off a public site, Mr. Wayne. If I can dig this stuff up so can everyone else. It wasn’t news the first time you were seen with her. It happens a few more times and people will get curious. You need to get in front of it.” She looked at him encouragingly, “For what it’s worth, Mr. Wayne, I think what you are doing for Gotham and your relationship with Ms. Kyle will draw the city closer to you...if we can put the right spin on it. If things come out through the wrong sources it could be catastrophic…both to your business and to your relationship.”

She handed him the remaining files and her business card. “Look these over, Mr. Wayne. Let me know if you would like me to continue as your representative.”

Bruce shut the door behind her and proceeded directly to the elevator concealed in his wall. As he was about to enter the waiting compartment he flipped open the next file. His jaw ground as he stared down at a black and white booking photo of Selina Kyle.


	12. Chapter 12

The three files lay in his lap as he stared down at a fifteen year old Selina Kyle. Her eyes looked haunted and she was slender to the point of malnourishment. Bruce felt a twitch begin in the lid of his left eye as he studied the old photo.

The arrest record showed that officers attempted to detain her for violation of vagrancy laws and curfew violation. The narrative of the arrest showed an escalation in events from her being discovered sleeping in an abandoned building and ending with charges of assaulting an officer, resisting arrest, and weapons possession. As he paged through the corresponding documents he realized that he had failed to even consider Selina’s juvenile records. His finger brushed over the outline of the Gotham City Seal and the document revealed itself as a copy.

 _I made sure everything was gone from her police files_ , _but I never considered her juvenile records. I might very well owe Ms. Wagner a debt of gratitude. Unearthing these documents and photos now will likely save Selina from seeing evidence of her painful childhood smeared over the gossip pages._ He froze as a sudden unbidden thought entered his mind.  _Photos…_ His stomach rolled and he felt himself sicken. _T_ _he photos…the box of photos…the dock…Selina’s father…_ “That son of a bitch.” He sucked in a breath as he felt dread clutch at his heart. “My god what happened to those photos?”

His mind raced as he tried to think.  _Three men went to prison for the murder of Brian Kyle_.  _It was a high profile investigation as it brought in Adriano Carpanzano_ … _he was dead but the other men were still serving prison terms…there was a possibility that the police might have retained the evidence from the trial._

Bruce found his phone and dialed Jim Gordon.

x

xx

Selina found Bruce sitting in the corner of his office. The huge expanse of space was filled without light save for the remnants of the orange sunset that reflected off the wall of windows.

His back was to her as he faced out over the city. His feet were propped on a glass table and he had work grouped out in front of him. She approached quietly thinking he might have nodded off after his last appointment. She noticed the slight cock of his head as he registered her footfalls and she smirked. “No rest for the weary?” She ran her fingertips over his bare forearm as she circled in front of him. She noted that he had divested himself of his jacket and tie and had rolled the expensive shirtsleeves to his elbows.

Bruce glanced up at the folders in her own arms and smiled sympathetically, “Nor for the wicked it would seem.”

“Am I interrupting you?” She asked the question as she tried to determine if she was hindering him from completing his duties.

Bruce nodded and Selina stilled. He took the files from her arm and tossed them down on the crowded table, “I need the interruption.”

Selina took his outstretched hand and watched as he kissed her knuckles much as he had earlier that day in front of his board. She searched his face and her brows drew together in concern. She touched his cheek with her fingertips, “You look exhausted Bruce.”

Bruce sat up from the cushions as he pulled her closer to him. His arm circled her waist and his forehead rested on her stomach. Selina wrapped both arms around him cradling his neck and head against her in an intimate hug. She held him securely against her, rocking them both gently. Bruce tightened his arm around her before pulling away slightly to gaze up at her. “I don’t need sleep. Seeing you revitalized me.”

Selina stroked his cheek and then kissed him. It was nothing like the kiss in the elevator or even before in his office. This was a kiss of nurturing reassurance. Selina cupped his chin as they separated and she felt the stubble from his face under her fingertips. She thought about how long his day had already been and became acutely aware of his fatigue and the deep furrow of his brow, “I’m worried about you, Bruce”

Bruce’s eyes traced over her face “Don’t worry over me kitten. I have everything under control.” He pulled her down to sit across his lap and sat back into the cushions. “Did my ‘bride to be’ manage to lock the door this time?”

Selina shook her head that she had not and chuckled at Bruce’s heavy sigh of disappointment. He kissed her again despite the knowledge that they would likely be disturbed. His kiss stopped short of sparking passion instead it seemed to soothe her. Bruce kneaded her shoulder with his hand as his mouth moved against hers. Selina realized how on edge she had been as the tension released. She sighed out in appreciation and then her eyes opened and she broke away from his kiss. “Hey now, you are the one that is working yourself to death, handsome. It should be me taking care of you.”

Bruce kissed her again and whispered against her lips, “This is you taking care of me, Selina.” He traced her chin with his thumb as he looked in her eyes and he thought of who she had once been. A scared girl alone in Gotham with nothing to her name and his arm tightened around her waist and he pulled her tighter against him. “Marry me, Selina.”

She threaded her fingers through his hair and smiled, “How many times are you going to ask me, Bruce?”

Bruce held her protectively, “Every day until you are officially my wife.” He stroked her side as he kissed her again as he murmured, “It’s up to you how long it takes to make that happen.” He nudged her with his nose, “How long does it take to get a damn dress made anyway?”

“Until Wednesday of next week.” Selina replied with a smile. His hands stilled and he looked up at her expectantly. She traced his ear lazily with her finger, “It’s supposed to rain that Sunday. So how does Saturday in the garden sound for you?”

Bruce slipped his hand behind her neck and pulled her face to his, “Saturday?” Selina nodded and Bruce repeated with more conviction, “ _Saturday_.”

Selina nodded again smiling as Bruce wordlessly reached for his phone his eyes never leaving her. He pressed a button and a second later Alfred’s voice sounded over the speaker, “Good evening, Master Wayne. How may I be of service?”

Bruce stared into Selina’s eyes as he spoke, “Set it up for next Saturday, Alfred.”

There was no clarification of his request offered and apparently none needed as Alfred’s response was immediate, “Very good sir. I shall see to the details.” Selina smiled at Alfred’s matter of fact response. The dynamic between the two men never failed to amuse her. Alfred carried on unruffled by the news of the pending nuptials, “I trust you both will be ready to depart at a reasonable hour this evening?”

Bruce gave Selina a squeeze, “We will find our own way home Alfred. I know you have your hands full getting the Manor ready for the unveiling tomorrow night.”

“As you wish, Master Wayne.” Alfred’s tone was all business and that made Selina’s smile even brighter as she imagined him bustling through the house with his final preparations. It already looked magnificent but after speaking to him several times throughout the day she knew that he had been coordinating crews of workers cleaning and staging the rooms. Only an hour before he had florists arriving to deploy cut flowers, fresh fruits and tropical plants throughout the house. Alfred had sought her input on everything with the house but Selina was content to give him free rein to ready the Manor for guests. She told him over tea at breakfast that she loved plants. Alfred seemed pleased by her admission and had told her he would spare no expense in accenting the home with greenery.

Bruce thumbed off the phone and he seemed intent on recapturing her lips in a kiss when it beeped again. He looked at the caller ID and his demeanor changed. Selina shifted off his lap feeling that their stolen moment together had ended. Bruce looked at her apologetically, “I’m sorry, Selina, I have to take this.” She nodded that she understood, but when he hesitated a moment longer and then stood to accept the call she realized he had intended she not stay while he took it. “This is Bruce. Hold for just one minute.” He covered the device with his palm to address her, but she was already gathering her things off the table and moving toward the elevator. “No need for you to leave, Selina, I can take this in the conference room.” He seemed torn by her departure and his need for privacy for the call.

Selina put her best poker face on and gave him an understanding smile, “I needed to drop these off with Fox anyway. Meet me down there?” Bruce agreed as he helped her gather her files off the table and arranged them carefully in her uninjured arm and saw her to the private elevator. She turned after she entered and noticed that Bruce was already retreating to the far corner of his office his back to her as he listened intently to the caller.

As the door, slipped shut she glanced at the stack of folders in her arm and appraised the bottom one with concern. She had picked up one of the files Bruce had on his table. “Great.” _…I don’t want to interrupt him again, he was obviously about to take an important call. Still if he needed this, he might be screwed._  Selina knelt and laid the stack of files carefully on the floor. She paused a moment before opening the file.  _I will just take a quick look. If it looks important, I will go back up and chance the interruption._

Selina opened the file and began reading through the document; the air left her lungs as she saw her name. She paused at the hand written notes in the margin that included details from the boardroom meeting earlier that day. It had bullet points on her announcement over her criminal background and a question mark beside - _how to handle possible employee concerns over SK’s security access?_

She continued to read down the document as it addressed the reveal of their relationship to the media and the proper strategy should Bruce not receive popular public support. All of these variables were measurable through loss of revenue for WE, personal opinion polls on Bruce and social monitoring for trends in Gotham, New York, LA, and Metropolis. The latter research had already been commissioned through an independent source and a base line had been established on Bruce Wayne’s favorability with various demographics.

Selina balked as she saw the detail included in the report. It had demographic breakdowns with gender, race, age, income, and education. Selina read through the different approaches to incorporating her into his life and the impact to his approval rating in each of these categories. From the slow fade in, to the strategic leak, to basic press release, to a red carpet announcement, each strategy and scenario had a cost benefit analysis projection. None of them seemed particularly favorable.

There was a section on her with personal recommendations. Her likability factor if she cut her hair shorter if she wore specific designers, if she supported certain charities. The objective seemed to be to make her more inviting to women in a demographic between the ages of twenty-five through forty-eight, an area where Bruce had apparently not scored well. There was even a recommendation for her vehicle, Silver BMW X3. Selina curled up her nose and continued to read. There was a script for their first public appearances including a list of approved locales. Not Gotham’s most elitist restaurants but the old faithful established A-list venues in the city. They were none of the places Selina could have ever afforded to dine before, but they were places where the average citizens of Gotham still had an opportunity to visit, be it more for occasions like anniversaries and graduations than regular dining.

A list of talking points followed: concerns included her background, criminal record, the over stability of any possible relationship. As the elevator dropped to a halt in Applied Sciences her stomach seemed to continue dropping as she read the last paragraph.  **Exit strategy for terminating the relationship.**  What followed were recommendations including prenuptial agreements, non-disclosure clauses, and settlement proposals. A partial press release was already composed. Selina held that in her hand as she walked shakily from the elevator into the darkness of Applied Sciences.

Xx

“Let me know as soon as you find out anything, Jim. I will go in myself and get it if that is what needs to happen. I would prefer I not have to. I do not want to compromise the integrity of evidence storage, but Jim, I have to have that box. Regardless of the consequences, I have to have it.” Bruce stabbed off his phone as Fox entered the office. Bruce gave him a hard look.

Fox looked nonplussed, “Mr. Wayne, would you care to let me on your newest emergency?”

Bruce let out a sharp laugh, “You created it Lucius. You and this little PR campaign I’m caught up in.”

Fox sighed as he folded his arms across his chest, “Mr. Wayne, as I recall you gave your blessing for the newly disbanded Donovan group to use WE PR as a spring board to, and I quote you, ‘keep them busy.’”

Bruce scoffed, “When I offered that I had no intention of involving Selina or our relationship in the rebrand.” Bruce glared at Fox, “I damn sure had not intended that my personal information be given to an outside party.”

Fox looked concerned, “What personal information might that be, Mr. Wayne?”

“My engagement to Selina for one.”

Fox held up a finger, “Mr. Wayne, you have put your own foot in your mouth on that subject so you can kindly stop blaming me for the taste of leather.” It was Bruce’s turn to look confused so Fox took the opportunity to clarify his position, “Your little conversation with Selina in the elevator this morning. Something about changing her name and setting a firm date?”

Bruce ground his jaw.

“Well, Mr. Wayne, you might want to be more aware of your surroundings next time. Ms. Wagner was sitting right there in the lobby trying to get a time on the books to see you. Instead of a meeting, she got a floor show.” Fox looked at Bruce with amused sympathy, “Don’t get me wrong, Bruce. It is a wonderful thing that you and Selina have with one another, but it is also completely obvious that you are in love. Your relationship would have quickly come to light with or without Ms. Wagner. Both you and Selina had to know what happened in the board room would not stay confidential. You practically announced your engagement and Selina  _did_  announce her criminal background. Even with her popularity with the board, Bruce, it took all of five minutes for what happened to turn into water cooler gossip.”

Bruce jammed his fists into his slacks and cursed under his breath, “One day in here together and we blow this entire thing to hell. Fantastic”

Fox sighed, “You haven’t blown anything up. You do, however, need to figure out how you will be officially announcing the news of your engagement. The rumors are already flying. In absence of truth, Mr. Wayne, people will accept whatever falsehood is offered to fill the void. This is one of the few times that the truth will actually serve your cause, might I suggest you employ it now where you can. Make the announcement, go public, be strategic, utilize the resources we have to protect Selina and the business if you can.” Fox clapped his hand on Bruce’s shoulder, “But most of all, Bruce, marry that woman and get started on your happily ever after.”

“Next Saturday Fox. Get your tux pressed.” Bruce absorbed the congratulations of his CEO with a weary smile. He exhaled out a breath and rolled his neck, the satisfying pop that accompanied the release of pressure brought a relief that was short lived. Bruce’s eyes rested on the table. One of the files was gone. He must have picked it up accidentally and sent it with Selina when she was gathering up her files.

A few minutes later Bruce strode into Applied Sciences anticipating Selina having seen the file and torn out of the building. He cursed aloud when he saw the folder open on the corner of Fox’s desk, “Shit.”

Selina’s voice sounded from the darkness behind him, “My sentiments exactly.”

Bruce spun on his heel. The relief at finding her nearly radiated off him as his shoulders sagged and he ran a hand through his hair. He could just make out her profile in the low light. She was sitting on the fender of the Tumbler, her legs and arms crossed as she stared away from him, looking across the dark expanse of the room. Bruce approached her slowly as if still anticipating a fight or flight response. His voice was rough and the emotion he felt at finding her there was relief mingled with regret, “Selina. I can explain this.”

The white canvas tarp that had covered the car had been thrown back to reveal the angled metal of the hood. She sat reclined against the Titanium support that framed the windshield. She was kicking her free leg, her black stilettos flashed like a warning beacon. He studied her even as she continued to look away from him, “Selina…”

She turned her head and watched him with glittering dark eyes as he approached, “You look surprised to see me, Wayne. Did you think I had run? It was a tempting option as far as  _exit strategies_  go...”

Bruce nearly cringed at her use of the phrase ‘exit strategy’. He could hear the pain in her voice as she quoted from the document. He glanced back at the file, “Selina, I want you to understand what that is...”

Selina shifted to face him squarely. Her legs uncrossed and her knees stacked primly beside one another as her arms dropped and she gripped the fenders of the armored car with her hands. “I know exactly what  _that_  is Bruce. It’s a PR guideline for if you go public with our relationship.”

He cringed at her hard analysis, but he could not disagree. “Understand, Selina, that it was not solicited by me, nor am I in agreement with the content.” He reached the vehicle and felt himself calm immediately when she reached out and took his hand. He started breathing again when she pulled him to her. He held her for a moment as he grounded himself and came to terms with the fact she was really there, “It’s not a matter of  _if_  we make this public, Selina, it is  _when_.” He held her realizing for the first time that the public persona he was bound to maintain in Gotham was truly threatening his happiness. When he spoke again his anger was obvious, “I don’t give a damn what anyone says about us, Selina. I do not care about cost analysis or public response to our relationship. None of that matters.”

Selina wrapped her leg behind his calf as her arms circled under his, “It matters Bruce. You should care. I know I do.” She sighed heavily, “Don’t get me wrong Bruce. I am glad you have people looking out for your best interest. But seriously…if they think I am cutting my hair and driving a damn minivan they can go right to hell.”

His laugh was one of relief as he held Selina against him.  _She’s not running...she’s not leaving...disaster averted..._ He dipped his nose into her hair and kissed her head, “I’m sorry if it upset you Selina.”

She burrowed her face into his neck, “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, Bruce. I have spent my entire life in Gotham. I know the kind of scrutiny you are under. Hell, even when you disappeared you still managed to make the society page.” She pulled back and looked up at him, “I know most of that stuff they published was just cover stories, but it still shows how much of your life is for public consumption. “

Bruce’s face was grave as he studied her, “And you are a very private person, Selina. Should I be worried?”

Selina shrugged, “I’m worried enough for the both of us. I don’t want this...us...to hurt you.”

He kissed her. It was long and thorough and when he finally pulled away from her it was only enough to allow his own words to pass. “You have healed the hurt in me, Selina. The only pain you could ever cause me is if I were to lose you.”

Years of self-preservation and struggle had hardened more than just Selina’s resolve, it had hardened her heart. She had numbed herself with anger. Now with just a touch or even a look, Bruce stripped away those defenses and she was left exposed. That was how she felt now…overexposed and it scared the hell out of her. Before she even had time to recognize the escalating feelings of panic in herself, Bruce was kissing her again, holding her hard to his chest. His arms tightening securely around her and she heard him say, “We’ve got this, kitten. Trust what we have.” She let him hold her and instead of panic, she felt relief.

His chin rested on her head, one hand cupping her face as the other cradled her body. Bruce knew that look. He knew when she was about to break. It killed him to see that look of uncertainty...of fear in her beautiful face. He thought again of the missing photos and his anger flamed. He growled out in near anguish from the thought of how deep the pain and the fear must run inside her. He forced away the images his mind created, refusing to allow himself to think of her like that...to allow her past to affect them now. He was acutely aware of how she had been hurt and even if it was not in the forefront of her mind it was in his. It was making him nearly insane with anger and feeling ferocious in his desire to protect her.

She leaned heavily against him, “I needed this.”

Selina’s soft confession as she held him brought him on alert, “I did too, Selina.” She nestled under his chin and he felt the possessiveness welling in him.  _She needed more from me…more than I have been able to give her._.. He vowed silently to himself that he would prioritize things differently.  _I have been handling more than I should at WE. I could easily reassign some of the workload._  When Selina kissed his neck he snapped back to attention and he was immediately on alert. He searched the oppressive darkness around them as he pulled her tighter against him and he shut down his physical reaction to her touch.  _I can’t do this…not like this...not with that poison in my mind…not here where I can’t control the environment...it’s too exposed._

She lifted her head and laid her chin on his shoulder, seemingly oblivious to his internal struggles, “After you settle things with the clown are you going to take a break from work and honeymoon with me, Bruce?”

His watchful eyes searched the room as he engaged her musing, “Where would my new wife want to honeymoon?”

Selina shrugged and then looked thoughtfully at her engagement ring, “South America maybe?”

Bruce shook his head decisively as his hand flexed on her hip, “Not on my life kitten. Things are far too unstable there.”

Selina laughed as she pinched him lightly on the side, “As compared to what, Bruce? The safety and stability of Gotham City?”

Bruce gave her a reproachful look, “It’s a hell of a lot safer here than it was a few months ago, Selina.” He rocked her against him, “If you want sun and surf I can give you that somewhere that I won’t have to worry over drug lords and kidnappers.”

Selina rolled her eyes, “That’s stereotyping, Wayne.”

“That’s a criminological fact of the region, Selina.” He nuzzled her cheek and then kissed her hard, “That folder you looked at had a lot of nonsense in it but it also brought up some serious concerns that we haven’t addressed.” He knew from the look on Selina’s face that she did not like the topic change, but she was listening and that was encouragement enough. He stroked her side as he spoke, needing to reassure her as he delivered his message. “There were several attempts made to kidnap my mother. You know that from talking with Alfred. Even with the shop’s current financial issues, Wayne Enterprises is still worth a hundred times what it was when I was a child. “

Selina smirked, “I thought all the kidnappers were centralized in South America.”

Bruce gave her a look of annoyance and then continued, “I know that you can handle yourself, Selina, but there are precautions that we need to take to ensure your safety.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, “After we go public you will need security with you. There will be people that will try to get to me through you. Some will be harmless enough, just business hopefuls that are looking for face time. But all it takes is an unprotected moment and the wrong person with an axe to grind. They wouldn’t hesitate to use you to get to me, Selina.” His eyes were serious, “You don’t have to look any further than Tony Stark to see the level of madness that people are capable of.”

Selina knew exactly what he was talking about. The video footage of the helicopter attack on Stark’s hillside residence had been so disturbing that Bruce had difficulty sleeping for days afterward. Even knowing this Selina still met him with defiant eyes, “I haven’t exactly seen you surround yourself with the Queen’s guards since your return to Gotham, Bruce. Why should it be any different for me?”

Bruce blew out a breath as she pulled away from him and pushed off the metal fender to stand beside him, “I should have taken more precautions myself, Selina. With the publicity this energy initiative is bringing, things are different now. It has made both Stark and I more of a target and by association, you and Pepper as well.” Selina rolled her eyes, but Bruce did not relent, “I need you to take this seriously, Selina.”

She shrugged, “If I’m to take this seriously, then you will too.” She poked him in the chest with a sharp stab of her finger as she stood in front of him her other hand perched on her slender hip as she looked to be spoiling for a fight, “Security for us both, Wayne,” when she paused for a moment Bruce saw the fragility in her eyes, “Security for Alfred too.”

Her open vulnerability when it came to her love of his elderly caregiver had Bruce swallowing hard before he chanced speaking again, “Of course, Selina. For Alfred as well.” She accepted him at his word. Bruce knew she did because he saw the tension release from her shoulders.  _Trust. That is all it took with her. She trusts me at my word to protect what matters to her…including myself…including Alfred._   _How easy it is to satisfy this woman of mine once she has put her faith in me…when she lets herself believe in me. The fact she can trust at all after what she has been through is the real miracle... I’ll be damned if I lose that...ever._

He felt her hand slip up his side, tracing along his ribs and then trailing over his chest, “You know, Bruce…before I found that file I had intended to lure you down here for the express purpose of seducing you.” She gave him a gentle shove and then she was pressing him against the hulking vehicle. “I thought you might want to finish our little game.”

His hands gripped her hips as he held her still against him. He shook his head, his heart heavy with the raw reminders of her traumatized youth, “I want out of here Selina.” He looked over his shoulder at the silent vehicle and then at the folder. “I want away from all of this. Away from everything.”

Selina’s head tilted as she watched him, the stillness of his body betrayed the emotion beneath his calm exterior. Normally she would provoke him into action, tease him into giving her what she wanted from him but she saw the sheer desperation with which he seemed to be holding himself together and she reconsidered. She slipped her hands over his and hooked his fingers with hers. When she stepped back she tugged him along with her, “Let’s go, handsome. I’m driving.”

x

x

x

Bruce had given his word to Alfred over breakfast that he would only work a half-day and would try to rest before the unveiling of the Manor that night. He kept that promise and cut out of the office shortly before noon. Bruce had walked into the fray at the Manor and went right up the stairs to the master bedroom, shut the massive door between him and the mad scramble of servants, and fell into bed. When Alfred woke him an hour before the guests were due to arrive, Bruce realized he had been so tired he was still wearing his suit and shoes.

He and Selina had left the shop the night before both on edge from the experiences of the day. Bruce reeling from his realization that the photos could still exist and Selina upset from the PR fiasco. They had ducked into her old Charger and she had driven them out of the parking garage into the city. She zipped along side streets dodging cars expertly in the flashy muscle car. Bruce had started to relax as the she took him deeper into the city and night began to close in around them.

She had finally pulled in front of an old building near the East End Regal Hotel. Twenty minutes later Selina was introducing him to what she deemed the best-kept culinary secret in Gotham.  _The Good Samaritan Vegetarian_ a deep-dish pie from ‘Ollie’s’. Bruce recognized the name of the establishment even though he had never eaten there himself. It was one of several restaurants owned by Oswald Cobblepot. Bruce must have had a look of apprehension on his face because as the pie was delivered Selina commented, “You don’t have to make this a moral debate, Wayne. It’s just pizza. Let it just be pizza, Bruce.” He had tried to relax at her behest but his eyes kept straying, as the overwhelming feeling of being watched unsettled him to the point that he was unable to calm until they were once again in the car and headed home.

She had returned him to the Manor at a reasonable time and he and Blake were still able to hit the streets for a few hours. Two drug deals and an assault were broken up thanks to their evening patrol. Bruce had been impressed with Blake’s technique. He had developed more of a stealth-based approach, preferring to take his victims by surprise rather than the way Bruce did which was more theatrical. Bruce allowed the criminals to see him...realize he was there for them…then he used their fear and panic to disorient them before he took them out. He nearly told Blake that he was forgoing an effective strategy in his assault when he realized Blake needed to find his own way.

He arrived back at the Manor, slid into bed alongside Selina and went unconscious for three hours and then she was shaking him awake. She practically dragged him out of bed at Alfred’s behest. She quoted his itinerary, which was obviously relayed directly from Alfred. She reminded him that he had loaded his morning heavy and that he only had to last half a day.  _Half a day_...he repeated that to himself as he showered and periodically through his breakfast. He rode into work with Selina in the Lambo. She had been content to drive while he slept, arms folded over his double-breasted pinstriped Armani. Selina had laid out his wardrobe that morning and he faced her selection again now as he shoved himself out of their bed, clothes rumpled, face sleep-swollen.

He was disoriented and none too pleased to realize that it was only an hour until the guests were due and Selina had yet to arrive at the manor herself. Bruce tugged loose his tie and kicked off his shoes, feeling only marginally refreshed after the additional sleep. He checked his phone and saw a missed called from Gordon. He frowned as he called the police commissioner back ignoring the fact that Gordon was set to arrive shortly at his very residence. Bruce had seen the guest list and knew that it was filled with the politicians and elected city officials. The mayor pro tem, the city council, and several district judges would be flanking the police commissioner all night. There was even some talk that a congressional representative might be in attendance. With that group of people on grounds, it was unlikely that he and Gordon would have even a moment in private. He still needed answers on those photos and he was not keen on waiting.

His call to Gordon went to voicemail, as did the subsequent call to Selina. Annoyed, he walked into the bathroom and splashed cool water in his face. He stared at himself in the mirror as the water dripped off his chin. This entire night was an intrusion into what was a precious commodity in his life, his personal time, but it was necessary. His real annoyance was that his fiancée was nowhere to be found _. I know she is nervous about tonight...she is probably getting cold feet._

He showered and was shaving and still no Selina. A quick check of his phone showed she had at least attempted to make contact. She had both texted and called. He dialed her back frowning at the display that held her message.  **‘I have a problem.’**  When the phone connected he immediately questioned her, “Selina is everything alright?”

There was a hesitation and then her voice replied, “Not really, Bruce. Meghan is running a temperature. I had to stop in and pick her up at the station’s daycare. Gordon couldn’t get loose. He is en route to you with the mayor and the rest of Gotham’s big brass. I’m in a jam here, Bruce. Stephens and the other guys are all on tonight. Some major stuff is supposed to be going down.” There was a long pause, “Bruce, I ‘m not going to be able to make it to the unveiling.”

Bruce exhaled a breath and took another swipe with the blade down his cheek, “Nonsense, Selina. Bring Meghan here.”  _I knew she had misgivings over tonight we had spent our entire dinner hashing that fact out in her gangster pizzeria. I thought we came to terms...we agreed not to announce our engagement and just play things casual…now she is trying to beg off entirely... Not happening..._

Selina apparently had a different take on the situation. She huffed, “I’m not bringing her there, Bruce. I am taking her to the AM/PM clinic and then I am going to Gordon’s. She is sick. Meghan needs to rest and you are going to have half of Gotham parading through your house tonight.”

Bruce cocked his head as he finished his shave, “Selina, bring her. We have staff that can look after her while you attend the party. She will be fine.” He looked down at the display when he realized what he had said. The display read,  **‘Call Ended**.’ Bruce tossed his razor into the water and wiped the soap from his face before he surveyed himself in the mirror and shook his head. “Did I really just say that to her? Real smart Bruce. Tell the woman you want having your kids that the answer to them being sick is to dump them with the maid.” He shook again his head as his jaw worked, “Brilliant…just brilliant.”

Xxxx

Bruce Wayne slipped back into the role of Gotham socialite without missing a beat. The eight years he spent sequestered did nothing to deplete the reserve of charm that he was able to tap whenever the situation demanded. He walked the floors of his home with the mayor pro tem’s wife on one arm and a congresswoman on the other. While he did have to pretend to be happy at entertaining his guests he did not have to pretend to be proud of the manor as he presented it to them.

Gordon suppressed a smile when the appointed mayor’s wife gushed over the beauty of the ballroom suggesting to Wayne that he should host her husband’s inauguration celebration when he was elected officially into office. She clasped her hands against her stomach as she walked a circle in the center of the floor, “Could you just imagine this ballroom filled with Gotham’s elite celebrating your election Michael?” Her husband smiled woodenly, “We might better determine Mr. Wayne’s political affiliation before we invite ourselves to celebrate in his residence dear.”

Bruce simply replied that his affiliation was for Gotham. “Whomever the people elect, it’s my goal to see they are supported and that the city is moved forward into recovery.”

A beautiful touch that Alfred added was to extend an invitation to the project’s lead architect. He set up easels in each room with before photos set alongside the artistic renderings of the projected remodel. Most were done with computer-generated programs but several were hand drawn. Bruce stared at the drawing of the ballroom as the guests entered. He listened to them comment on the beauty of the room as they marveled over the spectacular chandelier that illuminated the polished marble floor. He looked over at Alfred and they shared a knowing smile. It was Selina’s; he knew the strokes of her pencil. They had become as familiar to him as the sound of her voice in his ear.

He listened as the architect spoke to the frescoed ceilings and yards of hand dyed fabrics from Italy that now accented the walls. He spoke of the precious marble of the floors and hand chiseled pillars that had graced the original halls and the intent of the project to embrace everything the hall had been before and simply accentuate its beauty. “Preservation of the original design was the theme in this remodel. It was at the basis of every decision in every room. Preserve the grandeur and feel of its original design while modernizing and revitalizing. I believe we were able to strike the balance we were tasked with.” He looked at Alfred for validation when he made that statement and Bruce found himself immediately liking the young man.

The architect stood off to the side and looked questioningly at the elder man. “Mr. Pennyworth, I don’t suppose Ms. Kyle was able to make it in from Italy?”

Alfred shook his head, “I’m afraid the missus was unable to attend. She has however seen the finished product and was more than pleased with your interpretation of her design.”

Bruce stood off to the side until he was noticed and then he offered his hand and introduction, “Bruce Wayne.”

“Of course, Mr. Wayne. Neville Cavendish. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir.”

Bruce glanced around the room, “I take it I have you to thank for this transformation?” Bruce was obviously baiting the man for information on Selina’s contributions. Alfred smiled indulgently as the unsuspecting victim began gushing over Selina Kyle and her sketches. Bruce smiled as the man went on about the level of detail on her renderings and how he was able to incorporate her designs into the final product.

He walked with Bruce to the center of the floor and looked up at the chandelier, “The artistry of that fixture has no equal of that you can be sure, Mr. Wayne. It was commissioned off another of Ms. Kyle’s designs.” He smiled, his hands were perched on his hips and he looked with pride at the room, “I would have quite enjoyed meeting Selina in person. Pity she could not attend. Her drawings are inspired. It was a pleasure recreating them in your home, Mr. Wayne.”

Alfred stopped at Bruce’s shoulder, “That is a high compliment coming from a man of Mr. Cavendish’s standing.”

Bruce appraised the man as he took the offered glass from Alfred’s tray, “I confess yours is a name I recognize, Mr. Cavendish. Your group has designed several of the buildings purchased by Wayne Enterprises.”

Cavendish looked both pleased and embarrassed that Wayne knew of him. “Four actually.” The young architect beamed, his light complexion pinking as he confessed that he had requested the assignment to the Manor’s remodel. “When the opportunity came up to be a part of this.” He lifted his arms and looked around, “Well I definitely wanted to contribute. The support of Wayne Enterprises in the past was instrumental in the success of my business.”

Bruce took a sip of his ‘Champagne’ and his lips lifted when the familiar taste of ginger ale touched his tongue. “Are you working on any projects currently?”

The man shrugged, “I have several projects that are in their final phases. I am always designing and drawing, but nothing that I have a firm commitment to…well other than the Wayne Estate.”

Bruce seemed content with that answer. His eyes casually scanned the room as he spoke, “I might like to commission a few buildings from you, Mr. Cavendish.”

His eyebrows lifted, “A few?”

Bruce nodded, “I am looking at a revitalization project for Gotham and I think you might be just the man for the job. I could use someone with an affinity for blending the old with the new. Preservation mixed with a bit of... resurrection.”

X

The evening spun on and everyone played their parts.

Alfred’s efforts on the Manor received rave reviews from the guests. Blake made a splash in the Bowery by apprehending eleven men and securing a massive cache of weapons. It was the culmination of their previous recon efforts. Bruce and Gordon watched alongside Gotham’s leaders in the Orchid room as the drama played out on the one hundred fifty-two inch LED television. The news reported Gotham City PD and the Batman working side by side. Gordon stood beside Bruce as the video played of the Batman subduing three of the men. He gave him an amused smile before he asked, “What do you think of the Batman, Mr. Wayne?”

The group waited with interest for their host to weigh in with his opinion. Bruce formulated a response and he played his part in Gordon’s little parlor game, “I think at times, Commissioner, the Batman is a necessary evil.”

The party tied up with Gordon being one of the first guests to find the exit. His excuse was an obvious one he had a sick child. He had not been able to relax a moment all evening. Bruce had watched him on his phone checking for updates from Selina. Gordon tried to offer his apologies privately to Bruce, understanding that he was at the heart of Selina’s absence. Bruce waved off the apology and pursued instead what concerned him most, the status of the evidence from the Brian Kyle murder. Cognizant of the guests that surrounded them, Gordon quietly told him that it showed to be located in a remote storage center and that he was seeing to it first thing in the morning.

x

As Bruce watched Alfred show out the last of the guests, he tugged loose his bow tie and unbuttoned his collar. He rolled his neck and shrugged off his tuxedo jacket. His cuff links were next; he was concentrating on their removal as Alfred relieved him of his jacket. “I shall see to closing the kitchen and then release the staff. Crews will be here in the morning to begin the clean up.”

Bruce nodded, “Thank you Alfred. I believe the Manor was a hit with our guests.”

Alfred nodded, “It would seem so sir. Although I believe the return of your residence may have inadvertently committed you to hosting additional political events for Gotham in the future.”

Bruce snorted, “That seems a small price to pay for her return. Besides Alfred, you love hosting parties.”

Alfred inclined his head, “It is not I that shall require the convincing, Master Wayne. Speaking of the missus, how did she fair with, Ms. Meghan?”

Bruce eyed his butler warily, “You would know better than I, Alfred. I have been occupied handling our visitors. I haven’t had an opportunity to check on her. “

“Quite a good job you made of charming your guests tonight, sir.” Alfred complimented his employer, “The last communication I had with Selina myself was a few hours ago. Ms. Meghan’s temperature had finally reduced.” Alfred dusted off the tuxedo jacket in his hand, “I believe the missus was a bit out of her element tonight caring for a sick tot.” Alfred gave Bruce a subtle nudge, “She would have likely have been out of her element here as well I suppose.” Alfred looked dispirited, “Ms. Kyle was quite upset about missing the function tonight Master Wayne.”

Bruce listened as he unbuttoned his shirt further, “Selina was not upset about missing the party, Alfred. She was dreading every second of it.”

Alfred shook his head, “That is a fair observation, Master Wayne. But in defense of the missus, she was distressed at not being here as you had wished her to be.” Alfred gave his employer a sympathetic look; “She had put in considerable effort for tonight, Bruce. Selecting her dress, familiarizing herself with the background of your guests and worrying me near to death over how she should conduct herself. I fear Ms. Kyle was unsure of how she would be received.”

Bruce sighed, “I never seem to know how to alleviate concerns like that for her Alfred. I just assume that the fact I need her with me should be enough to make her feel accepted regardless the circumstances.” Bruce looked at Alfred thoughtfully, “It was a nice touch, Alfred. Bringing in the architect, someone she knew and could connect with. I think that would have helped her feel more at ease.”

Alfred nodded, “I confess, that was my intent, Master Wayne. The missus had worked with Mr. Cavendish quite extensively during the remodel, on the ballroom and the pool conservatory primarily. But then again she had input with many of the contractors and designers throughout the process. I thought she might enjoy the opportunity to meet Mr. Cavendish in person. A friendly face to see her through the evening as it were.” Alfred smiled ruefully, “It seemed a way to appreciate Mr. Cavendish as well. Allow him to receive his accolades in person rather than by informal correspondence.” Alfred looked up as if he had just remembered an important detail, “Speaking of, Master Wayne, I will be requiring your signature on some of those documents of appreciation.”

Bruce’s cheek twitched, “Alfred, what would it take to have an encore unveiling of the Manor?”

Alfred looked questioningly at his employer, “Nothing is out of the question should the word be given. It would be a bit of late notice to make it happen this weekend.” Bruce looked disappointed so Alfred gave into what he obviously considered a social faux pas, “I suppose we could make some phone calls in the morning. An invitation to a Bruce Wayne function isn’t likely to take second place to many social events in Gotham City even with such short notice.” Alfred hooked the jacket over his arm and walked to a table near the door where he produced a pen and leather-bound notebook. “Shall I extend the invitations to your normal recipients? “

The normal guests for a Bruce Wayne function included the Gotham city A-listers, bankers, investors, local celebrities, and socialites. Bruce shook his head, as it was none of those people that he was interested in hosting. “Invite the employees of Ginger Fox construction and the design team.” He looked around them at the beautifully staged foyer and continued, “ the decorators, architects and engineers, anyone that worked on the remodel. Make it casual dress and let them know that I wish the invitation extended to their families as well.” Bruce looked at his surprised butler and smiled, “They may wish to accept their accolades and share their accomplishments with their significant others present.” He paused for a moment, “How many do you think that will be, Alfred?

The old butler blinked at him speechless for a moment, “If you are including laborers and their families it would likely be over 500, Master Wayne. “

Bruce smiled, “You might better call the caterers tonight then.” He paused and turned, “And arrange some activities to occupy the kids as well won’t you, Alfred? Perhaps those inflatables where they climb in and hop about.”

Alfred looked confused; suddenly unsure of the direction Bruce Wayne was taking them, “You are describing a garden party of sorts then, Master Wayne?”

Bruce smiled at Alfred’s hesitancy, “Yes that’s exactly what I’m describing, Alfred. A barbecue or cookout they call them I believe. A menu with hamburgers, steaks, and the like...with vegetarian options of course. I will leave the culinary details to your discretion. Set it up for day after tomorrow. A Sunday afternoon sounds like a good time for that kind of thing. Doesn’t it, Alfred?”

Alfred stood speechless in the hall as Wayne turned away.  _If Selina Kyle was hesitant to join Bruce Wayne’s social circle than he seemed intent on joining hers._ A small smile played at the corners of his lips as he watched Bruce striding down the hall toward the study and the entrance to the Batcave. “If you cannot best her, you will be joining with her? Is that the idea then, Master Wayne?”

Bruce answered back over his shoulder, “I’ll do whatever it takes Alfred. Moving Muhammad hasn’t seemed to work for me thus far.”

Alfred chuckled “And then so must you endeavor to move the mountain.” Alfred slipped a hand into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and began scrolling through his contact list.


	13. Chapter 13

Selina walked down the steps of Gordon’s brownstone, holding the lapels of her dark blazer shut against her throat. Her head ached and she wondered momentarily if she, rather than Meghan, was more worse for wear from their evening together. The young girl’s temperature had broken about an hour ago and her stomach finally settled enough that she was able to eat a few crackers. She finally fell into a fitful sleep mid-sip of her ginger ale. Gordon found them curled together in his oversized recliner when he arrived home. He tried to convince Selina to just stay the night, but the call of a shower, fresh clothes, and a familiar bed was too strong.

Selina walked silently to her car, the heels of her shoes tapping lightly as she walked. She felt a presence before she saw it. Spinning slowly, she saw the outline of a man in the shadows and she stilled. Her initial reaction was to believe it was Bruce. After a moment longer to study him, she was not as sure. His size was right, but his stance was off. Bruce’s shoulders were wide and powerful, but he held himself in a way that telegraphed a grace and power. There was none of that in this man; he was just a hulking shadow that sparked unease in her as they silently faced off one another. Selina took a tentative step toward the man and he turned away walking purposefully down the street.

His face had been in the shadows, but for a moment it caught the light and she again believed it could be Bruce.  _Strong jaw...dark hair...suit._  The resemblance was enough that it had her pulling out her phone and dialing Alfred as she trailed after him. The elderly butler answered immediately and informed her without prompting that Bruce had just bid farewell to the last of his guests. Selina told him she was on her way home and thumbed off the phone. She tucked the phone into the pocket of her black slacks and started walking in earnest after the man. He reached the corner a good fifteen seconds before her hurried steps brought her to the edge of the row of hedges. He was gone. She paused for a moment undecided on if she should try to follow

Selina let her eyes travel over the deserted street as she played over her options. She glanced up, noting the darkened street lamp and the hairs on her neck prickled.  _Perfect place for an ambush._..  _Or maybe I am just being paranoid..._  Selina went with her instincts and instead of following blindly she backed warily away from the darkened corner. She felt uneasy as she made her way back to her old Charger. She kept glancing over her shoulder as she walked; her body on alert as if anticipating an attack. She did not relax until the engine kicked over and the deep rumbling motor shook the metal chassis of the vehicle. She drove the block looking for any sign of the man. The street was quiet; hers was the only car that was rolling. She did not like that the guy had disappeared _. Either the creep lived close or he was hiding..._

The man watched her when she approached, his hand clutching a large syringe. The needle trembled, telegraphing his anticipation and a drop of clear viscous liquid dribbled onto the cement. His mouth curled into a vicious sneer when she backed away. She was not as stupid as he thought she would be and had not liked that she came at him head on.  _She was ballsy. Her unwillingness to be baited into following me showed some street sense._ He had not counted on either of these from her _._ “You might just require more finesse. Surprising for a gold-digging whore.” He jammed the weeping needle back into its plastic safety cap and dropped it into the pocket of his dark jacket. “No need to rush things. Your time will come soon enough, pet.” He remained silent and still in the dark shadows of the hedges as she drove away.

Selina dialed Gordon and told him of her encounter. It eased her some to hear the seriousness with which he reacted to her concern. He said that he would have roving patrols in the area and even suggested that he should put an officer on his house. She knew that Gordon had an excellent security system because she upgraded it herself after her own break in confirmed it wasn’t what it should be. He now confirmed to her that it was activated. Satisfied with the precautions and Gordon’s own capabilities she headed for home. By the time she reached Wayne manor there were no cars left in the drive and the interior of the house was dark save for the diffused lights from the halls that shone through the windows.

The microchip Bruce embedded in the dash of her car activated the gates allowing her to pull in without slowing. Following the winding drive to the garage, she paused and looked up at Wayne Manor. The decorative lighting on the brick walls gave the massive structure form, even in the darkness. She looked into the garage as the doors opened obediently for her to enter. In the very last spot in the garage, there was a small square of cardboard positioned strategically on the floor. She put it there to absorb the leak from the old Charger’s power steering pump. It started going out even before they left for France, but she had neglected to fix it. She thought of the little square of cardboard as she looked back up at the house. That little piece of paper strategically positioned to protect the pristine perfection of Bruce’s world from the staining imperfection of hers.

Her head throbbed and she ran a shaky hand through her hair before leaning over the steering wheel. With her forehead resting on the cool surface of the wheel, she sighed as her stomach rolled. The unease she had felt all day was easily attributed to the anxiety over the party, which had now been replaced by the dread of facing Bruce after having missed it.

She sat back with a groan, staring up at the house as she killed the engine.  _Wayne Manor. It is as close to a castle as anyone will ever find in the United States. And why wouldn’t it be a castle? Bruce Wayne is as close to royalty as we Americans can get. He is the Prince of Gotham… Lord of the Ladies… the Duke of Desire… the titles went on and on._ “I am so out of my league.” She grumbled and sat there a moment longer listening to the ticking of the engine as it cooled. She breathed in the faint scent of juniper as she willed herself to calm. She let her mind wander and thought of John Blake. He was as close to a kindred soul as she had in all of this. He was as out of his element as she was and yet he seemed to be holding his own.

Selina had seen the news that evening as she and Meghan lay on the couch. Meghan had wordlessly pointed at the TV when the image of the Batman appeared on the screen. The child’s silent acknowledgment of Gotham’s Dark Knight had needed no dialogue, the message was implied,  _‘Hey, Selina…There’s your boyfriend...’_ Selina just smiled knowingly as she watched the video of Blake taking down some Gotham dirt bags.  _It had been a shame that it was not all of us down there. Baby Bats has to have all the fun tonight. Shame after all the work Bruce and I put in down there..._

Her eyes lifted to the windows of the darkened bedroom she shared with Bruce. She wondered for a moment if he had hit the streets himself after the guests cleared out.  _If he had been agitated enough with me he might have wanted to blow off some steam. No better way to do that than to knock some criminals around... Or he might be so exhausted from his ridiculous schedule that he just collapsed in bed. He deserved to finish the evening however he wanted. He earned it... he had actually met his social obligations tonight._

 _“_ Dammit…” She growled out the curse as she forced herself out of the car. She growled again as she looked down at the dark display of her cell phone in her palm. She slipped it back into the pocket of her wrinkled black slacks. She had left right from Wayne Enterprises to collect Meghan and her wardrobe showed it. She felt rumpled and unkempt and as she stood outside the garage looking up at the hulking mansion she realized that she was feeling something else, she felt... watched

Hair on the nape of her neck prickled as she allowed the intuition that had guided her earlier, that had kept her alive on the streets for years, to take over again. She slipped back into the shadows of the garage. Her mind recreated the image of the man at Gordon’s as her fingertips brushed the hard handle of her butterfly knife. Her eyes scanned the perimeter of the garage searching for him as the knife spun to the ready in her hand.

“You expecting Bruce to give you that rough a reception?” Blake asked the question from his perch crouched on roof of the garage.

Selina scowled up at him, a sharp retort forming on her tongue. The remark was lost as she watched Blake jump and the cape billow out arresting his fall. Her eyes flicked over him as he landed. His knees were bent slightly to absorb the shock. He had a certain confidence about him that she had never seen before tonight. It was something she had noticed earlier while watching the news. There was about fifteen seconds of video captured before he hit the electromagnetic generator on his belt to disable the cameras. It was just enough footage that Gotham City got to see the Bat in full uniform battling in the Bowery while Bruce Wayne, sporting an Armani tuxedo, was entertaining the Police Commissioner across town in the Palisades.

Blake seemed to be basking in his new confidence as he strutted by Selina looking over at her with a cocky grin that was at complete odds with the dark and dangerous cowl. A look of concern chased the smile from his lips and his eyes grew serious, “What’s got you so jumpy tonight, Katniss?”

Selina snorted as she whirled the blade closed and it disappeared behind her back, “Not you, that’s for sure.” They fell in step together as they walked toward the house. “Why are you lurking around outside the Manor after curfew, Robin? Did the Big Guy lock you out of the Batcave?”

Blake smirked as they strode the last few feet to the main house together, “Actually, I thought I had better stay in uniform, just in case one last damsel in distress might need rescuing tonight.”

Selina’s eyes sparked like flint off rock, “I’ll never be desperate enough that I would let you save me, Baby Bats.” Selina slipped her hand under the fingerprint scanner that she had installed above the old-fashioned doorknob. The locks snapped open and she pushed inside the door. Blake drifted in silently behind her. They both halted as they saw Bruce standing on the landing above them.

Blake’s voice was a low whisper in her ear, “Never say never, Katniss.”

Her lip twitched in annoyance. She tore her eyes away from Bruce intending to tell Blake where she would put the first arrow if she had really been Katniss Everdeen and was shocked silent when the space next to her was empty. The twitch in her lip morphed into a sneer.  _Show off._ Selina took a deep breath steadying herself before she turned back to face Bruce Wayne.

The back stairway was nearly as dramatically beautiful as the one in the main entry. It had double half spirals that lifted from either side of the room culminating in a bridge that overlooked the entryway. Bruce stood on that overlook now, his arms braced on the intricate carved railing that separated them. Selina stood silently looking up at him, the beauty of the room was lost on her. The only visual she was currently able to process was how her fiancé looked clothed in the remnants of his tuxedo.  _Bow tie hanging loose at his throat... shirt unbuttoned casually... no jacket. It is too dark to see his face, but from his body language he seems relaxed._ Selina knew that with Bruce, looks could be deceiving. Even knowing him as she did she could never really tell the depth of emotion underneath the surface.

 _Bruce is as self-contained as a person could get._ Selina nearly winced as her conscience spoke. _I’m a fine one to talk about self-containment._ The guilt she felt hit her full force as she walked tentatively into the middle of the room. She had to force herself to keep her chin up and her eyes fixed on him.  _I ducked out on him tonight and we both know it... The call for Meghan had been an irrefutable excuse for me to miss...and I grabbed it... He had been willing to stand beside me in front of all of Gotham’s leaders despite my criminal past and I had run out on him..._

That truth weighed heavily on her heart as she faced Bruce now. Neither said anything, they just looked at one another. She could not make out his face, just his silhouette backlit by the low light from the hall. His head tilted. It was a small motion, just the slightest alteration in his stance, but for Selina that was all it took. It was an invitation. She did not need to see his face or hear him beckon her with words. It was with that infinitesimal movement that she felt herself drawn to him.

Her feet carried her to the stairwell on the left. It was no surprise to Bruce that she chose that route.  _The shadows were heavier there... gives her a chance to hide from me awhile longer..._

Selina finally spoke as she reached the bottom step, her hand balancing on the banister, “How was it?” She watched the outline of his shoulders raise and lower in a small shrug.

“They loved the house. Alfred’s presentation was flawless as expected.”

Selina began to climb, “And what about Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham’s social scene?”

He shifted again, aligning himself with her as she progressed up the stairs, “Hosting a couple dozen bureaucrats for drinks and appetizers is hardly splashing back into the social scene. I suppose I was personable enough though. Alfred deemed me an adequate and accommodating host.”

Selina studied him as she progressed up the stairs, “Only adequate?” She was close enough now that her eyes registered the rueful smile on his face.

“‘Adequate’ was orders of magnitudes better than what Alfred had anticipated. He knew my heart wasn’t in it.” Selina nearly flinched at the acknowledgment that the evening had not gone as he had desired. Her eyes flicked over his shoulder to the dark passage that offered her escape. Before she could make her move past him, Bruce stepped closer, “And what of your night? How is Ms. Meghan?”

Selina’s eyes met his for only a brief second before they slipped away.  _It is too hard to look at him in the remnants of his tuxedo. He is handsome and perfect and I let him down...not for the first time...or probably even for the last._ Selina edged further away from the banister and Bruce as she responded, “Better.” Her voice sounded strained. She cleared her throat and took another step away before she tried speaking again, “She’s feeling better. She was sleeping when I left.”

Her movement away from him did not go unnoticed. Bruce countered it by shifting further to the side, effectively blocking her escape. She ran out of ground to give and her back was literally against the wall. She stared pointedly at the floor and Bruce waited patiently until she finally looked up before he spoke again. He remained relaxed, his arms resting at his sides, “I’m sorry, Selina. I should not have said what I did. I should not have made you feel like Meghan’s health wasn’t my greatest concern. That was not my intent. I just wanted Meghan cared for...and I wanted you here. To me that selfishly translated to you bringing her here where I could have seen to you both.”

Selina exhaled in frustration, the implication that Wayne Manor was the only logical haven for a sick child brought more than a drop of acid to her words, “You do think highly of yourself. I’ll give you that, Wayne.”

Bruce absorbed the jab without emotion, simply nodding at her words. “Self-assurance has never been an issue for me, Selina. Truthfully there isn’t much I can’t make happen when I want it to.”

He studied her anticipating her argument, she did not disappoint him when she responded, “You might be rich, Bruce, but you aren’t a doctor, and this isn’t a hospital.”

His deep voice remained calm and surprisingly devoid of arrogance as he explained how his financial position had indeed factored into his logic, “I could have had a doctor here before your car pulled into the drive Selina.” There was a pregnant pause before he spoke again, his voice the same soothing timber; “You needn’t have been on your own caring for Meghan tonight.”

Selina’s eyes narrowed as she drew herself up to her full height, “You aren’t the only person in Gotham City that can make things happen, Bruce. You do realize that right? Just because you throw money at a problem doesn’t mean that it gets fixed faster.” Selina had no problem meeting his eye now that she was angry, “And she did see a doctor, Bruce. I took her to a pediatrician.” Selina tugged down the hem of her rumpled jacket, smoothing the wrinkled fabric under her palm. She did not like that she sounded indignant and defensive and she especially did not like that she was suddenly reconsidering the decisions she had made concerning Meghan. She was left searching herself for the truth and wondering if the choices she made were more for the little girl’s welfare or for the convenient escape from her own social obligations.

 _Where does he get off making me feel this way? So what if I missed a night hanging off his arm like a damn decoration while he showed off his house...I would have been a distraction anyway...truth be told, he was probably grateful when I didn’t show..._ She cursed softly chastising herself for her mental tirade. It was no fault of Bruce’s that her mind sprang forward with that belittling scenario. Her own anger and insecurity’s were completely to blame. She shook her head.  _I’ve spent too many years reading magazines celebrating Bruce Wayne’s exploits...heard too many interviews speculating about the women in his life...now all the worry over that damn PR file..._

Bruce watched the conflicting emotions play across her face.  _With her every reluctant step up the stairway I have become more convinced that Selina will lose her nerve and bolt...just cut and run..._  Bruce took her momentary distraction after she spat out her little remark about how he was not the only act in Gotham and used it to his advantage. Sidling closer to her, he ensured no matter what her next move she would be within his reach.  _Worrying about her all night...wondering if she would come back to me on her own or if I would have to run her down again... Standing here like a damn statue while she tortured me with that pitiful slow trudge up the stairs...I have had about all I can stand of this..._

When she looked up the wariness in her eyes had him bridging the remaining distance between them. His fingertips brushed her wrist lightly and his voice was soothing as he tried to gauge her response to his touch, “We are on the same side here, Selina. We should probably start acting like it.”

Selina relaxed as she felt his hand slide up her arm, she could feel the heat of his touch warming her skin through the soft silk blouse, “You’re right, we should act like it... _I_   _should..._ ” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt his other hand graze her hip and then slide around to her back. She finally relaxed and looked up letting her eyes hold his. The regret on her face was plainly evident, “I should have been here with you. I could have brought Megan here.”

Bruce gave her a gentle squeeze, “I could have sent a doctor there.”

A small smirk played over her lips, “But that wasn’t what you wanted. _”_

“Contrary to popular belief, Selina, I don’t always get what I want.” Bruce gathered her closer to him.  _As long as I get you though, I can deal with the other disappointments._..He nudged her cheek with his nose, “Besides, you seem to have done alright tonight without my intervention.” As her arm slipped around his waist, he felt himself decompress.  _She lost her nerve... but now she is facing it... tonight was just growing pains... we are just starting find our way together..._ His hand lifted to her face and he stroked her cheek with his thumb. Selina settled further against him and he breathed out through her hair. “It’s hard Selina. So damn hard for me not to try and be everything to you.”

She smiled ruefully, “So tonight was you actually...holding back?”

Bruce nodded as he tightened his arm around her, “If I showed you how possessive and protective I can really get it would likely scare the hell out of you.” Selina laughed into his neck as she imagined the billionaire ditching his own party just to spend the evening coddling a sick child. It alarmed her that now as she thought of the scenario it did not seem as farfetched as it probably should have.

Bruce kissed the shell of her ear and let his hands roam her body as he reinforced the fact that she was there with him. His hand brushed against the hard cast on her arm and the reminder of her injury had his stomach tightening.  _Kitten, you have no idea the lengths I would go to for you...I think it might even scare me if I was honest with myself about how far I would actually go to protect you... to possess you..._

Selina felt his body go still against hers and she nuzzled against his jaw, her voice low and seductive. “How about you stop holding back on me handsome. You have been playing things way too cool with me lately.”

Bruce felt his guilt curl to the surface.  _I have let work and this city take precious time away from us... Then those photos..._ He gripped her hip tighter and his breath grew uneven. He ground his teeth as he forced away the thoughts of the photographs.  _She is not that scared little girl anymore...she is a woman. A powerful one at that...willing and receptive...asking me in no uncertain terms right now to satisfy her._  Bruce was stubborn and prone to bouts of over protectiveness, but stupid he was not. He tilted her head up to him and his lips slammed down over hers.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her leg hooked possessively over his hip. He pressed her hard against the wall. She arched against him and he responded to her passion with a throaty groan. He held her hips against the wall as he broke away. She held the kiss until the length of his arms bracing her made it impossible. He uttered one word, “Bed.” Selina’s face broke into a smile as she dropped away from him and found her balance. He grasped her hand and stalked briskly down the hall. She kept pace beside him in spite of the dangerously tall heels she wore. He looked down at the teal pumps and he gave her a smoldering look, “Sexy.”

Selina grinned wickedly. He growled again at the unguarded receptiveness she was showing him. He whipped her playfully through the open doorway ahead of him and kicked the door closed behind them. Selina leapt up into his arms, her momentum drove him back a step and he collided bodily against the heavy wood door. She was all over him. Her fingers in his hair, her legs gripped against his thighs as she bit down on his lower lip. Bruce cursed as he gripped her bottom and squeezed. He was so hard it was painful. “Dammit it, Selina,” he rubbed against her allowing the friction of their bodies to bring some relief to his engorged member.

He was torn between the need to take her hard, appeasing that possessive part of him and the very real awareness that Selina didn’t look to be in the mood to be put down tonight.  _Damn this is dangerous ground..._ He was only vaguely aware that he had grasped her by the hair and was pinning her by it while his other hand pulled at her clothes.

She twisted away from him dropping agilely to the floor. He captured her against the door pressing his chest hard against her back. In a second, her powder blue blouse was torn open and buttons were raining down to the floor. Her bra came apart and his hands filled with her breasts. He kneaded her soft flesh aggressively as she arched pressing more of herself into his hands. Her throaty moan of approval vindicated his intensity as their passion escalated. His vision was graying around the edges as she incited him further by pressing her ass back against his erection. Her moan turned into a demand and he cursed again as his hands lifted and squeezed her breasts. She growled her approval as she ground her tight buttocks into his groin. He was being too rough with her and she was spurring it on with her aggressive responses.  _I am losing it and she’s loving every second of it. Have it your way kitten...take me off the leash..._

She felt his teeth against her neck and shivers ran down her spine as her hands splayed out on the rough wood supporting their combined weight as he pressed harder against her. His fingers pinched and rolled her nipples and she squirmed wishing like hell she had worn a skirt.  _He would have already been inside me if I had._  Her body clenched and she squeezed her thighs together trying to find some relief for the need pulsing through her. Bruce must have felt her move or just knew instinctively what she needed because one of his hands dropped down to her sex. He kicked her legs apart bracing her open with a muscled thigh as he fondled her roughly through the fabric of her slacks.

His teeth gripped her shoulder and she jolted back against him. She freed her right hand, bracing her injured arm against the door for support. His eyes locked on her arm and anger at her injury sparked in his chest _Anger...frustration...passion...need._ His eyes shut and he drew in a shuddering breath as he pulled her forcefully back against him as he fought to control his emotions.  _Someone touching her…hurting her...trying to take her away from me..._

Selina loosened her belt and released the clasp on her slacks. Bruce took the offered access sliding his hand under her panties and slipping a dexterous finger through the wet folds of her sex. They both moaned in unison at the additional stimuli. Selina bucked in his hand and Bruce held her firmly letting her ride his fingers as she chased her own pleasure. His nose was buried in her hair as he breathed her in. The sweet citrus of her shampoo took him back to that night he searched for her.  _Standing there in the bathroom with only that scent leading me...encouraging me just enough that I started believing she was near._

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was spread open across his chest as she gave him access to the most intimate parts of herself. His gut clenched as Bruce thought of what a gift it was that she could offer herself this way to him.  _She knows she is safe…she is mine..._ He wasted no more time; there was no need to. She was already primed for him.

She was shoving down her slacks as Bruce held her firmly at the base of her neck while he freed himself. He fed his cock into her without further preamble. Her sharp intake of breath and clenching muscles made him nearly insane with the overwhelming feeling of possession. There was no grace or finesse as he drove into her, grasping her hip, anchoring her as he thrust hard into her.

She moaned and her head dropped back against her shoulders, meeting him move for move arching her spine and rocking her hips back sharply as he powered forward. His lips curled into a wolfish smile. She was giving as well as she was getting as they fed one another’s need. She bowed her back and tilted her hips as she offered herself to him completely. “Yes, Selina...I’m so deep inside you.” His hand slipped around to her throat and traveled up to her jaw as he buried himself again and again into her willing body. The hot squeeze of her walls and their crazed pace had him struggling for air as he pushed himself harder with every thrust.

She bent further at the waist, her ass lifting higher as she balanced on her heels using them to deepen the angle of her pelvis. Her shaking fingers splayed widely on the rough wood of the door offered her only additional support. His aggressive thrusts had to be filling her to the point of pain. Her body was stretched tight to accommodate the size of him. Bruce was thankful for her sounds of approval as he had lost the ability to hold back and was forcing her to take the length of him with every thrust.

Each swift drive bounced his heavy sack forward against her clit, finally stimulating her beyond her capacity. Light sparked behind her eyelids as she climaxed. She felt like she was shaking apart and clawed at the door just to keep from collapsing to the floor.

When Selina came Bruce’s knees nearly buckled as her body closed in around him.  _Christ she is amazing._ He gritted his teeth and forced the pace faster despite her body’s desperate grip on him. He hooked his hand under her chin and he lifted, extending the graceful arch of her back and neck until their eyes met.

All the softness was gone from his hazel eyes.  _When the passion burned like this, the golden flakes seemed to disappear from his eyes and only green that remained._  Selina barely registered that he was talking. The roar of blood in her ears was deafening her to his words. She caught only fragments of what he said, “Beautiful...mine...Wife...” a rumbled curse and a command that she did not understand. He pulled out and spun her around. His lips slammed back down on hers and he was kissing her deeply. He broke away, his hand still hooked under her jaw. “I told you what I want.” Bruce dropped down and pulled her long legs free from her slacks and underwear, now only her heels remained.

Selina smiled foggily down at him.  _He must really like the shoes...hell, they are Valentino Garavani’s..._ When Bruce stood, he lifted her with him and all thoughts of fashion went out of her mind. One leg was hooked over his shoulder, the other was braced with his hand clasped firmly under her knee. Her back landed against the door; the cool wood against her hot skin brought a hiss from her throat. Another hiss came as his tongue fluttered across her clit.

Bruce buried his face at the juncture of her thighs as he suspended her above him. Her position managed to be one of simultaneous subjugation and superiority as she balanced on his shoulders with her thighs pinned open wide.  _Fucking Bruce Wayne. Only he could make a woman feel like this. A slave goddess._ Her nipples were rock hard and she was panting breathlessly. She had to force herself not to writhe as her balance above him depended on his grip. She stared helplessly down at him as he pleasured her.  _Usually he would be watching me, but he is lost in it tonight. Eyes shut...mindless in his task. My boy scout..._

Bruce sucked at the bundle of nerves, his cheeks hollowing as he pulled at her exposing more of her to his touch before working his face against her folds, deepening his access. His fingers flexed on her thigh as he fought the urge to bury them inside her tight channel Having her open to him like this was a dream and he wasn’t willing to sacrifice his current position to penetrate her again. He could push her over the edge just as efficiently with only his mouth. Bruce had figured out one thing, when he was with Selina Kyle, he would do anything to own her sexually. Satisfying her had become a personal passion for him. He showed that now as he fed on her like a starving man.  _Endlessly... I would stay at this endlessly just to feel her thighs begin to twitch... feel her legs open a fraction wider..._  He wondered if she even realized the tells that precipitated her orgasms.  _I know them kitten... Carnal knowledge..._

He forced his tongue in her deep before it returned to its mark and the glorious task of bringing her off. He could have strung her out in no man’s land teasing for a while longer but he was nearly ready to come himself just from the taste of her and the filthy dialogue that had been coming from her beautiful mouth since he put his lips on her. Selina’s dirty demands and promises of sexual retribution had him desperate to be back inside her. Her legs flexed when he sucked her clit again and he smiled against her slick flesh as her heel dug into his back. His tongue flicked mercilessly at the bundle of nerves and she detonated above him with a hoarse shout. Bruce dropped her down to his waist and slid himself inside her before the contractions had subsided. Two hard thrusts, the feel of her teeth on his jaw, her nails clutching his shoulders and her body pulsing around him and Bruce had had to lock himself down.

His chest heaved as he held himself inside deep inside her. He recovered himself enough to walk them over to the bed. She was soft and pliant in his arms now, draped over his shoulders spent from the intensity of her orgasms.  _God I love her like this... she is completely mine in these moments_. He sat down on the bed and then lay back on the mattress. She lifted off his chest enough for him to settle them comfortably on the bed. His hands held her lax body tightly against his groin as his mouth found her breast. He licked and sucked until he felt her body responding. He began to guide her hips and stalled her only when she tried to quicken their pace. “Slowly. Fuck me slowly, Selina, or I’m not going to last.”

Selina’s low moan at the rawness of his words rushed more blood into his already achingly hard member. She braced her hand in the middle of his chest. He was sweating and trembling as she rocked against him. The taste of her and feel of her sliding wetly around him had him nearly mad with desire. He growled as he ground her against him fighting to find a balance that would sustain him while he got her off again.

He knew that his desperation must have shown as Selina was soothing him now...telling him repeatedly that it was ok, that she had him. He held her tight at her hips, willing himself to calm as he listened to the cadence of her voice. He felt her hands at his wrists and he snapped back to himself. He released his grip on her hips immediately realizing he must have been hurting her. “Tell me, Selina, if I’m too rough.” There was anxiety in his voice and more than a hint of fear.

She smiled down at him and he was confused by the predatory gleam in her eyes as her hand ran up his arm. “How ’bout you tell me if I get too rough, Bruce.” As he opened his mouth to respond, he felt something tighten against his skin. His eyes lifted and he saw his leather belt wrapped securely around his wrists. He shifted and the slack played out. She had anchored it to the base of the headboard. Selina’s hand trailed down his face stroking his jaw as her body continued to rock over him. A low groan escaped him as his eyes closed and he felt his shoulder muscles clench.

Selina’s lips brushed his ear, “Easy, Bruce. Just let me take care of you.” His biceps flexed as he tested the binding. She admonished him with a sharp nip to his earlobe. “Don’t make me find something stronger big guy. Now I’ve got you handsome, just relax.” Her hips rocked against his and his head rolled on the pillows as his body shuddered. Selina felt his physical reaction and watched as the tension rippled across the muscles of his chest and shoulders. Selina replied with a tsk of her tongue. “Let someone else drive for a while...It doesn’t always have to be you...You put too much on yourself. Too much, Bruce.”

He heard the concern in her voice and he knew this was not just about sex. His eyes rolled open. He intended to reassure her... tell her that the he could handle the load, but he choked on the words. His chest felt tight as the oppressive weight of his commitments pressed down on him. He uttered a strangled sound as he fought against the overwhelming sensation of drowning. He pulled in earnest against the bindings his muscles bunching under his skin. The Italian leather creaked from the pressure he exerted.

Selina’s voice broke through the whirling confusion in his mind, “Let go, Bruce. Let it go.” Her body lifted and lowered undulating over him, withdrawing the length of him only to rock her pelvis hard against his. She lifted away and shoved him down hard when he tried to control the pace. His frame was wracked with another tremendous shudder as his frustrated eyes met hers. Her hand gripped his jaw and her eyes searched his. “Let me have it, Bruce.”

Another sound escaped his throat, the muscles over his abdomen jumped and twitched erratically as Bruce collapsed back onto the mattress. His shoulders sunk into the pillows behind his head as Selina stroked his face. Her body continued to glide against his and he squeezed his eyes shut as if in pain as he grudgingly gave himself over to her ministrations. Selina praised him softly, her voice soft and comforting in his ear...encouraging him to just feel the pleasure...to allow himself to take what she gave him.

 _Fuck, it feels so good._ Bruce kept his eyes shut tight just listening to her voice as his body relaxed and he just concentrated on the feel of her body moving against his. He nuzzled her face as she lowered against him, her lips brushing his ear. “You don’t have to be in control here. Not with me Bruce...not tonight... just let go. “

He felt the tension in his chest release and he groaned out in relief. His voice wavered as he told her she had pushed him past his limit, “Going to come for you kitten.” When she shifted over him, he opened his eyes. He was not ready for the surge of emotion he felt as he watched her moving over him.  _Devotion_. That word sprung into his mind and stayed there as he watched her, his breath trapped in his lungs.  _She is everything to me_. He remembered vividly that day on the phone when she had owned his pleasure so completely and he asked her for that again. His eyes focused in on the full red bows of her lips, “Tell me. Can I come for you, Selina.”

The flash of her white teeth in the dark room had his body drawing up tight in anticipation of her command. “Wait Bruce...wait for me.” Sweat sprang out on his chest and forehead, rolling in full droplets down his heated skin as she ground harder and faster against him and he demanded his body to do the impossible and follow her bidding.

“Wait for me Bruce. Not ‘til I say, handsome.” Another wounded sound escaped him as his heels dug into the bed as he tried desperately to stall his body’s imminent eruption. The sound of their skin slapping together, the feeling of her body tightening as she moved faster around him were undoing him despite her demands. His shoulders strained, the leather belt cut into his wrists and he was grateful for the pain. The bed frame groaned as he fought against the bindings.

The sight of Bruce beneath her lost in the agonized ecstasy of his delayed orgasm sent Selina over and she brought him with her with only a word, “Now.”

Bruce did not remember even releasing himself it was like her words bypassed his brain and went straight to body. His hips arched off the bed, lifting Selina’s weight easily with the powerful intensity of his orgasm. He emptied himself into her with a dozen powerful convulsions, but his body remained rigid despite his explosive climax. The muscles in his arms and stomach strained as he continued to pull against his bindings desperate in his need to reach her.

Selina lowered her body against his, feeling the trembling of his muscles as their hearts raced in time with one another. Bruce reluctantly allowed her to settle him back into the pillows. He only relaxed when it was apparent that she was going to stay next to him. She pressed herself tightly against him, her breasts against his chest, her hair lying across his face as her arm cradled his head.

It took Bruce several minutes to descend from the level of passion she had taken him to, so much so that he did not acknowledge the leather bindings dropping from his wrists. Selina caressed his face kissing his cheek softly before moving her lips to the pulsing artery on his neck. Bruce lay silently in her arms, his body quaking from the aftermath of his release.

He became aware of his freedom when he felt Selina’s hand massaging the indentations left by the leather. Her fingers traced down his chest and she settled her palm over his still wildly beating heart. Bruce turned into her, nestling his face into the inviting hollow of her throat as he lowered his arms and circled Selina’s waist, holding her securely against his body. He listened to her voice as he breathed in her scent.  _She smells faintly of her perfume, Dolce and Gabbana...pink Dove soap...and leather from the seats in her old Charger...and me. God I love that she smells of me..._ Bruce sighed deeply. His wandering fingers lightly traced over her casted arm that lay cradled between them and he roused. His head lifted from the warm haven of her body as he took stock of their surroundings.

Selina felt the power balance between them shift as Bruce came back to himself. His arm tightened around her waist as his eyes flicked to the security monitor beside the bed and then over to the GCPD remote scanner.

Selina squeezed his hip. “Sleep Bruce. I will wake you if anything happens.” He nodded silently before shifting on the mattress and tucking her carefully into his side. He followed her direction, dropping his head heavily onto the pillow next to hers. Within seconds, he had fallen into an exhausted sleep.

Selina lay next to him for a long while watching over him as he slept. She loved the way his face relaxed, the fine lines that surrounded his eyes and mouth smoothed. It made him look so young…so at peace. She lifted his phone off the nightstand and sent a text to Alfred.

**_‘Alfred Please let Bruce sleep in this morning. He needs it.’_ **

Xxx

xx

x

Blake smiled out over the grounds as he watched the kids from St. Swithin’s playing on the game truck. Alfred had woken him the day before for his Saturday martial arts lesson. The elderly Butler had sat beside him on the bed and congratulated him on his fine showing the night before. Blake had smiled into his glass of orange juice proudly accepting the accolades. It was then that Alfred asked him to invite the children to the manor. He told him of the event Bruce had envisioned and Alfred said that it would be nice to include the boys.

Blake had been almost as excited as the kids when, after services that morning, Father Reilly loaded the lot of them up in the aging bus and headed over to Wayne manor. Blake had driven his Mustang and three of the older boys had ridden with him. As they had pulled through the gate and the kids were surprised by what awaited them. There were hundreds of people milling about the large catering tents enjoying food and participating in the various outdoor festivities as music played over a sound system.

Two enormous game trucks were parked on the East end of the grounds. Both were tricked out with the latest in live action video games. They could make out children and their parents virtual snowboarding, skiing, and riding simulator motocross bikes. The boys had barely let him slow down before they were out and racing across the freshly manicured lawn to the games.

The winding driveway up to the manor had already filled with vehicles parked off to the side. Valets were parking the new arrivals out in the lawn beside the garage. The grounds themselves began to see heavy traffic later in the day as the boys from St. Swithin’s faced off against children of the contractors in a touch football game. Blake had been very willing to quarterback. During the game, Blake got to know the foreman of Ginger Fox construction. He offered to officiate the game in an effort to personally ensure the safety of his two young girls that insisted upon playing.

Blake had been introduced to him again by Felipe, one of the oldest kids still housed at Tom and Martha’s hours after the game concluded. He had gone on to tell Blake that the supervisor offered him a job for the summer if he passed his intro classes for college. Blake celebrated with the young man and shook the work-hardened hand of the supervisor. The man reassured him, “I will only keep him on if his grades stay up. It will be an entry job where all of the workers once started; mixing, and hauling mud to the masons. A hard job, but it’s honest money. Hopefully it will teach him the value of a day’s work,” He winked at Father Reilly, “Hard enough that he will not want to spend a lifetime doing it. He will be motivated to take his education seriously.”

Blake and Father Reilly both approved of the arrangement so much so that talks of a more formal work-study program began. Blake felt that with Fox and Wayne behind the construction company it would be an easy sell. A job that would involve the young men in the rebuilding of the city while they learned a construction trade and earned money and all of it would hinge on their grades and their continued formal education. Blake was ecstatic over the idea. So much so, that he sought out Bruce to fly the idea past him.

He had seen Bruce mingling with the families during the course of the day. However, seeing it again now had given him pause and he stood back and watched suddenly hesitant to break into his personal time. It was unfamiliar to see him in social interactions. He looked for the familiar mask that he had seen before at the orphanage. Maybe it was Blake’s own happiness bleeding over, but Bruce’s public persona did not seem as forced as it had before.

Blake kept a respectful distance as he listened to Bruce conversing with an older Hispanic man. He had nearly decided that he would run interference when he heard the man ask Bruce about his much speculated upon eight-year absence from Gotham.

Bruce did not seem put off by the interest the man showed. He listened intently to the man. Blake figured out after Bruce started talking that the man was the stone mason that laid the brick work on the master bedroom. “I watched you grow up in Gotham city, Mr. Wayne. It is good to have you back. You have done good things, bringing business back to the city. People see you and they wait to see what it is you will do. Then they follow. Now, when you don’t give up they don’t give up. You stay, they stay.”

Blake scarcely realized that the man was speaking in Spanish. He had been studying the language and was becoming proficient. Bruce responded with his own proficiency in the language. Blake smiled as Bruce acknowledged the man’s kind words and then took a moment and complimented him on his masonry skills before answering. Bruce looked thoughtfully at the man and then responded to him about the question of his absence. “Gotham didn’t need me then. It was prosperous and at times, I can be more of a distraction to the city than an asset. I was a younger man with more money than sense.” He waved off the argument that the man seemed ready to offer. “I wasn’t the man I should have been back then. Maybe I needed that time. I grew up in the years I was away.”

Selina walked by and Bruce nodded a silent greeting to her, his eyes following her as he continued to speak, “Now that I am back I want to assist with the recovery and rebuilding the city. I’m interested in continuing the humanitarian projects my parents supported in Gotham.” He smiled at a young boy that trampled up and hugged the older man’s jean clad leg, “I want Gotham to be a safe place again. A proper place for your grandchildren to grow up.”

Selina’s laugh distracted him and Bruce missed the loaded question that was asked of him. He looked questioningly back at the older gentleman, who smiled broadly and repeated laughingly, “And safe for your children too I think, Mr. Wayne?”

Bruce coughed into his hand and he shook his head no, but his eyes were drawn immediately back to Selina. She was walking toward him. Two giggling preteen girls trailed after her, seemingly infatuated by her every move. The old man straightened and gave Bruce a knowing look, “With a woman such as this, you will want to give her many beautiful children. Then you will have them to see on your own legacy in Gotham.”

Selina slipped her arm around Bruce’s waist and the girls giggled excitedly. Bruce gave them a playful wink and they nearly swooned as they held onto one another for support as his smile dazzled them. Selina ignored her flirty fiancé and offered her hand in greeting. Blake noted that her Spanish was not as polished as Bruce’s but it was still better than his, “Mr. Wayne could only hope his children will be as beautiful as your family, Mr. Matias. I have met your granddaughters and your lovely wife. I think I might even be able to make Nopales now after her kind instructions.”

The old man smiled as he patted Selina’s hand then he beamed at Bruce, “If my wife has shared her recipes then this woman is the one for you to keep.”

Bruce grinned at Selina and responded to her in English, “I am not a man that will argue with the Abuela.” Bruce kissed Selina seemingly to confirm for the old man that he did have intentions in keeping her just as had been suggested and for the added benefit of torturing the two girls that were waiting with such anticipation. The kiss was one of many public displays of affection that Blake had witnessed between the two of them that day. They were not bothering to hide anything, but they had also not made any formal introductions regarding their engagement. A fact Alfred seemed perturbed with as he had answered the question of who Selina was a hundred times over the course of the day. ‘Mr. Wayne’s significant other’ had been his fall back terminology.

Blake backed away deciding to leave Bruce to his day of relaxation and focused himself on the same task, enjoying himself. He was tireless as he played with the kids from the orphanage. Nearly exhausted from the football game they had played on the game trucks and then gorged themselves on food before touring the house. Each of the boys showed him where their rooms had once been. All of them were fascinated with the transformation of the house seemingly also fascinated with Bruce Wayne.

He walked up to them in the hall and the young men fell into an awe struck silence. Blake watched as each of them nervously offered their hand and introduced themselves formally to Bruce Wayne. He shook his head in wistful regret.  _They will never know who he really is... what he has really given them... given this city._

Blake had them in the game room when Selina passed through on her way to the kitchen. She had given him a snaky look and a smart-ass comment about the kids needing adult supervision, which brought a chuckle from Blake. She drew her share of attention and one of the boys nudged his shoulder, “That’s her right?”

Blake raised a brow, “That’s who?”

The young boy rolled his eyes as he dropped his hands into the pouch of his navy hoodie, “Bruce Wayne’s new girlfriend.”

Blake shook his head, “That is Bruce Wayne’s  _only_  girlfriend.” He nudged the kid back; “You best keep your eyes in your head. He doesn’t share.”

The kids laughed as one of them said “Too bad for you. She is hot.”

Blake clipped him on the back of his head, “Get your head out of your pants. She is like a sister. A mean sister. Which is absolutely not hot. Not hot at all.” The young men laughed at Blake’s denial. Blake took their ribbing for a few moments more before he headlocked two of the boys and took down another with a leg trap. They all fell to the floor in a heap with the remaining kids laughing and cheering them on.

x

As the day began to fade Bruce and Selina made their way out to the patio that over looked the grounds. Bruce held her hands and smiled at the contented look on her sun kissed face. “Good day?”

“The best day.” She confirmed with a smile, “This was a great idea.” She glanced out offer the grounds and the milling crowd. “Everyone is having a fantastic time. The crew has brought me through every inch of the house a dozen times. I now know the story of every nail that was put into every board.”

Bruce grinned. He had received similar treatment. “It was a refreshing change to be guided around my own home. I rather enjoyed it.” He caressed her hands with his, “What about you? How does did it feel to host your first social event at Wayne Manor?”

Selina rolled her eyes, “This was hardly a typical Bruce Wayne event.” Bruce’s eyes did not leave hers as he waited for her answer. She evaded him again, “Besides this was all you and Alfred. I just mingled around with the contractors and played with a few kids.”

Bruce squeezed her hands, “That’s all it’s ever about Selina. Finding a common ground with people, making a connection.”

Selina shrugged and glanced out at the people milling around the grounds below them, “This was easy though. These people are real. They are not celebrities and business moguls...they are construction workers and day laborers. Their families are filled with blue-collar workers, not blue-blooded politicians.”

Bruce sighed, “And yet I, Bruce Wayne billionaire, have walked safely among them. In defiance of all odds if I am to be judged by your same standards.”

Selina gave him a strained smile. “I know what you did here, Bruce. I get it.” Selina swallowed hard and looked up at him. “Maybe I will try to defy some odds myself next time.”

Bruce tugged her to him and kissed her again. Their now very public display earned a few catcalls and more than a smattering of applause from their guests down below. Selina blushed furiously and only Bruce’s iron grip on her wrist kept her from breaking away from him. He turned and his face broke into a brilliant megawatt smile. Selina realized what he was about to do, “No Bruce. Don’t do this. You cannot do this. You are supposed to talk to our people before—”

He spoke to her through his smile, “Remember, I’m Bruce Wayne. I’m used to getting what I want.” He winked at her and tugged her closer, “Besides Gotham expects me to be eccentric. Just roll with it kitten...”


	14. Chapter 14

Bruce looked up from the laptop balanced on his knee as Blake walked into his open office door. The young man looked dapper in a three-piece camel plaid suit. _An_   _Ermenegildo Zegna from the looks of the slim cut. Alfred had obviously been making the most of their time together including outfitting my apprentice with a wardrobe suitable for life at the manor._ Closing down the computer lid Bruce stood and straightened the sleeves on his own charcoal houndstooth Armani jacket before offering his hand to Blake. John shook it firmly as he glanced around them betraying his unease at having been called to a meeting in the middle of the day at Wayne Enterprises.

Thirty minutes later John Blake was the official head of Wayne Enterprises security division.

The position itself was a beard. A false front to help explain the relationship he now had with Bruce Wayne. By employing him, both his personal and professional appearances alongside Wayne would never be in question. His appointment to the security division would allow him unfettered access to every division within WE. The security designation alone gave him the ability to avoid inquiries on his actions and responsibilities to the organization as secrecy was assumed.

The immediate concerns he broached to Wayne were laid to rest, namely time considerations for his training and nocturnal crime fighting. His mind was put at ease by Bruce’s explanation of the infrastructure that was already in place to support him when he inevitably agreed to accept the role. Blake would report to one person and that was Wayne himself. Three administrators would actually operate the division’s day to day, which minimized Blake’s actual responsibilities. This freed him to continue his training while providing the necessary backdrop to cover them should the press or an interested employee begin to look into their relationship.

As Blake digested the offer, he was able to find only one drawback to accepting the job: Selina Kyle.

Part of the expectations would be overseeing the security revisions of Wayne Tower and that involved working directly with Selina. Things had been better between them as of late, but then again he did his best to avoid her whenever possible. Regardless of their relationship, Bruce had presented her involvement in the venture as a nonnegotiable. According to Bruce, she would be consulting on all of Wayne Tower’s security upgrades. It would then be up to Blake and his team to see them implemented. It would take a minimal time commitment on Blake’s end once the final decisions were made on the upgrades, but whatever interaction they had together was likely to be filled with conflict. Oddly, Bruce had been specific when he said that Selina was not to be involved in the actual installation of the security systems and that she should be excluded from any alterations to the systems post involvement.

When Blake had questioned this, Bruce had clarified that it was not loss of faith in Selina, but rather him honoring her requests. She wanted to eliminate any perception that WE security was being compromised by her involvement therefore she was to be treated as any third-party security consultant. She was to be afforded only a level of access to WE facilities that corresponded to that security level. Once Blake had agreed to the specifics on his position, the conversation moved to personal security of Bruce himself. Blake realized a few minutes into that discussion that Bruce was approaching this totally from a business professional’s aspect. He was not talking in terms of Batman and Wayne technology, but instead of a basic but comprehensive security detail that would be afforded top political or entertainment figures.

Wayne grew decidedly more serious when the discussion shifted from him to the security of Selina and Alfred. Blake listened intently as Bruce described what he wanted. Blake kept silent until Wayne asked his opinion. Offering a non-committal shrug Blake responded,” I agree with what you are saying Bruce and I can put together a list of qualified people right now, but I don’t believe Selina nor Alfred either one are going to go for his. Without their cooperation it will be impossible to provide the level of protection you are requesting.”

Waving off his concerns, Bruce paced slowly as he spoke, “Selina is already onboard and Alfred will do whatever is necessary to alleviate my concerns for his safety.” Bruce hid a small smirk as he pulled up and glanced over his shoulder at Blake, “Correction, he will do whatever it takes to alleviate  _Selina’s_  concerns.” Blake did not look as if he believed a word of what had been told to him and Bruce seemed amused as he offered further assurances. “Selina agreed to this, Blake. Her only stipulation was that she chooses the people on her detail.” Wayne grazed his jaw with his knuckles as if reconsidering her terms as he spoke them aloud. He blew out a breath and stared at Blake in finality, “I agreed, with the understanding that her people will be approved by you.” Only his ultimate control kept Bruce from smiling as Blake fidgeted in his chair. He continued undaunted by Blake’s discomfort, “Verify the ones she picks can handle the job. I will not settle for a group of servants holding her shopping bags and picking out shoes. I want professionals. Professionals capable of detecting and responding to very real security risks.”

Blake watched as Bruce rolled his shoulders, the tension he carried there obvious to the younger man as he studied the profile of his mentor. “After news of our marriage breaks the press will be all over her. She will be involved in public appearances and events. They will need to know how to handle the media. Providing her protection from the paparazzi will likely make up the majority of their duties, but they have to be ready and able to respond to anything.”

Regarding Bruce gravely, Blake gave voice to his concerns, “I assume it is more than just a random possibility that has you this concerned.”

Bruce nodded as he handed him a flash drive, “This is from Stark’s people. There have been threats against both him and Pepper. This is a comprehensive list of organizations that may be involved. An abduction attempt is my primary concern.”

Blake took the small device considering everything he had been told before he slipped it into his pocket, “What about Fox?” Bruce pursed his lips as if considering the question of his CEO’s security for the first time. Blake shrugged, “I mean, you have to wonder if Pepper Potts is being targeted more for her position with the energy project than for her relationship with Stark himself. Mr. Fox could be a logical next choice if you prove too difficult a target to reach.”

“Good call,” came Bruce’s clipped response. “Fox is a man of reason, I’m sure if you partner with him on this that he will accept additional security measures with an open mind.” He gave Blake a small smile, “His residence already has the best security that my money can buy and that his mind can conceive so he won’t require additional assistance there. As far as personal security you will need to reevaluate it from the ground up.”

Blake nodded, his mind already working a list of candidates for the job. He looked over at Bruce and voiced his most serious concern. “All of this preparation is well and good against a common threat Bruce, but if it’s the that Joker attacks, it won’t matter how many men we have between them and him...unless the men are _us_.”

Bruce’s face was unreadable as he paced slowly in front of the large bank of windows. “Blake, you can’t plan anything with the Joker in mind. It just does not work that way. His next move cannot be anticipated. All we can do is assume he will make a move eventually. He came to my Penthouse before to draw the attention of the Batman, he may or may not try something personal like that again.” Bruce stopped moving his hands braced at his hips, “He is playing a new game this time. Nothing is tracking the way it did before. Before it was grandiose plans designed to bring the Batman out into the open.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, “Now it is like he is doing only enough to remind us he is out there. Just enough to keep the citizens afraid and the city off balance.” Bruce turned his back on the panoramic view of the city in limbo and faced Blake, “I am beginning to wonder if he is still in Gotham at all.”

Blake straightened in his chair as he considered the possibility that the Joker had moved on from Gotham City. “What will you do if he is gone?

Dropping a hand into the pocket of his slacks Wayne continued to appraise Blake as he answered, “Carry on, as I have been…training you, rebuilding the city, living my life.”

Blake shook his head an incredulous look on his face, “So what? In the mean time we just bide our time while he regroups and gathers his forces? No offense, but that doesn’t sound like much of a plan, Bruce. What kind of future is that anyways, just sitting around waiting for the axe to fall…”

The young man’s brash words brought a grim smile to Bruce’s lips. “The fact I’m thinking of myself having any future at all is already a pretty big step for me. Besides, there are worse ways to wait out a maniac than the way we’ve been doing it.” Bruce stopped himself from voicing his own experience from the other side of the spectrum the memories of lying paralyzed on a cot in Bane’s prison while Gotham was under occupation. Those experiences were a far cry from his current reality of waking in Wayne manor wrapped in the warmth of Selina’s arms as he had that very morning. Instead of rubbing Blake’s nose in the obvious, he just gave the custom cut suit the young man was wearing a once over as if waiting for him to draw his own conclusions regarding their perceived hardships.

It was not difficult for Blake to comprehend the underlying message.  _I could be just another person, an unemployed cop with no future, no direction, no ability to affect the change I so desperately want for Gotham. Instead, I am living in a mansion soon to be pulling six figures while I train to become the Batman._ He gave Bruce a reluctant nod of understanding.

“John, you have been a constant though all of this. Distractions have pulled me away from things, but you have been undeterred from your commitment to the city. It has been because of you that I have been freed to deal with everything else. Thank you for that.”

“Feels like there is a ‘ _but_ ’ coming at the end of that sentence.” Blake laughed uncomfortably as he shrugged off the compliment.

Bruce nodded grimly, “ _But_ …John, you are not ready to take on the responsibilities of Batman. Not on your own. Not yet.”

Blake stood in alarm, “I never meant to make you think that I thought that I was…I was trying…” He stammered over the words, “I mean I was just trying to do what I thought you wanted—”

Raising his hand, Bruce halted Blake’s desperate attempt in defending his first struggling escapades. “I know what you were trying to do, John. You were trying to live up to a legacy that was dropped into your lap. You were trying to become Batman.” Bruce looked troubled, his jaw ground and he took a deep breath before continuing. “I think that is the problem actually. I never had to  _try_ to be anything. I was not  _acting_  like anyone. The Batman was who I was… _who I am_. You are out there night after night pretending…trying to fit yourself into a mold that was made by me… _for me_. It was unfair of me to ask that of you John. There is only one Batman…there will only ever be one Batman…me.”

Standing there in stunned silence as Blake finally realized what this was. He felt like his chest had been hollowed out, “So that’s why you are offering me this job at Wayne Enterprises? To soften the blow when you take back everything else?” Blake was mortified when he realized that actual tears were building behind his eyes, “You said I was doing…I thought I was impro-”

Bruce stepped toward him and cut off his words with a sharp lift of his chin. “You have done exceptionally well. Despite the impossible circumstances I presented you with.” Bruce laid a hand on the young man’s shoulder. Blake met Bruce’s gaze but the hurt was still obvious in his eyes. “I am taking nothing away from you, John. I am trying to  _give_  you something in fact. I am trying to give you a choice.”

Blake took a breath blinking hard as he tried to comprehend what it was Bruce was saying. “A choice? You are giving me an out you mean?”

Bruce seemed to consider his question, “Do you _want_ an out?”

The question hung between them heavily and the anger was evident in Blake’s voice when he responded. “No. I don’t. Bruce, if you don’t trust me to wear the cape and cowl that’s fine, I will still find a way to help Gotham. You don’t get to edge me out of this. This is my city too. I may not have your money, but I have trained hard. I have given everything of myself to this. I wanted to earn your respect…to make you proud, but I will do this without—”

Bruce tugged the young man toward him and before John realized it, Wayne had locked him in a hard embrace. Bruce held him tightly gripping his neck with his hand and wrapping a muscled arm around his shoulders as he heard Bruce’s words near his ear, “I  _am_  proud of you, John.  _Damn proud_.”

Blake stiffened reflexively as physical contact with Wayne outside of their sparing sessions was unexpected and unfamiliar. It took him a moment before reciprocating with a desperate embrace to his mentor. His voice was muffled as he spoke into Wayne’s shoulder, “Tell me what to do, Bruce. I’ll do it. Anything. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I can contribute. I’ll work harder.”

Bruce shook him gently by the neck, “What you said before, Blake, you were right…Gotham doesn’t just belong to me anymore.” He separated them holding Blake at arm’s length, locking him with both his firm grip and intense gaze, “I want you to find your own way, John. I want you to begin your own legacy in Gotham City.”

“Find my own way? What does that mean? How?” Eyes bright with emotion, Blake was obviously confused as to what Wayne expected of him.

Bruce considered the question, “I started with Fox. He would be the logical person for you to consult with as you start crafting an image of your own.” Bruce squeezed Blake’s shoulder reassuringly, “All of my resources are at your disposal, John. Make good use of them.”

Blake realized for the first time that Bruce was not removing him from his position as guardian over Gotham but rather trying to allow him to evolve, to explore the parts of himself that he had compromised when trying to take on the persona of the bat. Still, Blake seemed resistant to abandoning the Batman’s iconic image. He found it difficult to meet Bruce’s eye as he admitted as much, “I wanted to see the legacy of Batman continue. For you, Bruce.”

A surge of pride swelled in Bruce Wayne’s chest and he took a moment to collect himself before he spoke. He straightened the expensive fabric of Blake’s suit, smoothing it across the smaller man’s shoulders with a practiced flick of his hands. “The legacy of the Batman is bigger than any uniform, John. It is about duty and responsibility. It is about protecting Gotham City.” The muscles in his jaw worked as he adjusted the knot of Blake’s tie, “You have honored that legacy with your every action, John. It is not up to you  _to be_  the Batman, to control the darkness I created.” Bruce looked regretfully down at the man he hand-tasked with that incredible burden, “The Bat was born from  _my_ nightmares, Blake. He is  _my responsibility_...my demon to control.”

Bruce’s face brightened as he forced himself to continue, “By the time I retire the Batman for good, Gotham will already be looking to you as its future…to the persona that you will have created.” Bruce dropped his hands away from Blake, but remained close as he offered his recommendation, “Until you and Fox figure things out you are welcome to still use the Batsuit or if you prefer one of the non-customized Nomex training suits.” His lips twitched as he confirmed what they both already knew, “You have better mobility in those anyways.”

x

Leaving the office in a daze, Blake rode the elevator in a trance. He had to be prompted twice that the elevator had reached the lobby destination. Before facing the daunting aspect of navigating traffic, he paused in the lobby of Wayne Tower to collect himself. Staring up at the water wall he lost himself in meditation. The decorative wall vaulted an impressive four stories above the ground floor, dominating the foyer’s open space. A small smile played over his lips as he realized that he had already subconsciously analyzed how he would ascend the structure. Shutting his eyes for a moment, he ground himself in the sound of the falling water. Blake’s smile broke free as he realized what had drawn him to the water feature.  _It reminds me of the cave. I wonder of that was why Bruce commissioned it…does it calm him like it does me? When he is trapped here being Bruce Wayne does this make him think of the quiet isolation found in the dark caverns below the manor?_

Blake imagined the sound echoing off the cool rocks of calcium carbonate, the way the low lights from the computers illuminated the sparkling veins of iron oxide in the dark stone. The sound of raised voices drew him away from his meditation and his attention went immediately to the security officers at the reception desk. He came alert in an instant as he assessed the situation. There were five men demanding an audience with Bruce Wayne. Additional security was summoned and a police cruiser pulled up outside the building. Blake watched as the men were physically escorted to the doors.

They were detained on the sidewalk by the police officer and all of them ended up presenting wallets to the two officers as their identities were confirmed and recorded. A man Blake recognized as the director of security made an appearance walking outside flanked by five of his officers. Blake drifted out to the sidewalk and listened as the man barred them from the premises. “In the future, any meetings with Mr. Wayne will happen via conference call or at an offsite location. Be advised you will be arrested and prosecuted for trespass if these instructions are not heeded.”

Sizing up the men quickly, Blake determined three were foreign. Russian from the sound of their accents, the other two Americans. The group had a military look about them despite their formal business wear; each was physically fit with short-cropped hair and hard eyes. His own intelligent eyes flicked quickly over their clothing.  _Well financed…suits are designer...tailored. Facts I can be reasonably sure of thanks to Mr. Pennyworth. They weren’t as high end as Bruce’s, but they were definitely nothing bought off the rack._

Waiting until the men took their leave, Blake trailed them down the block to where a black SUV zipped to the corner and whisked them away. He jotted down the license plate number, frowning as he watched the vehicle motor away.

 _What would have happened had they made their way to Bruce? They might have gotten more than they bargained for when meeting the owner of Wayne Enterprises. What had been their intent in meeting with Bruce?_  He pulled out his phone and texted Wayne directly.  _Looks like I get to start my position with WE security a little sooner than expected._   **‘Bruce can you spare another few minutes for me? I’m headed back up.’**

x

Pepper closed the laptop and shoved it across the table as if by decreasing its proximity the distance might lessen her obligation to respond to the relentless messages that were inundating her inbox. She sighed as she looked out the window of the plane and let out a resounding curse. She glanced around guiltily before she realized that the SHIELD agents that she was sharing the cabin with were either completely oblivious to her outburst or such professionals that they gave no indication of having heard her.

She dropped her chin into her palm and stared moodily out the window. The sky over Gotham always seemed to be dark and foreboding no matter the time of year. She frowned as she looked at the city as the plane descended and the buildings grew in clarity.

Air quality reports showed pollutants were not to blame for the haze. Industry regulations on emissions had been higher in Gotham than in California for better than twelve years. A small smile perked at the corners of her lips as she thought of Bruce Wayne.

Wayne Enterprises had led the charge in the city requiring his facilities to set a higher bar in relation to environmental expectations worldwide. Even now, it was WE money funding the environmental crews working off shore to determine the impact of the nuclear detonation on the sea life. She had seen the photo shots of a concerned Bruce Wayne and actor turned work-tanned entrepreneur environmentalist, Kevin Costner, shaking hands as they stood on the rocky shores of Gotham overlooking the bay.  _Hollywood meets the financial district. Luckily for the human population of the city, the ocean bore the brunt of the blast. Air streams and tidal patterns had been such that the fallout from the detonation had been pushed away from Gotham city._

Her smile faded as she recalled listening to the oceanic experts explaining that had the Batman taken a route easterly into the bay, he would have missed the favorable tidal drift that cleared the poisonous particles away from the mainland. She had wondered then if that was only luck that guided the Batman’s route or if he really was just that good. It seemed unlikely to be a coincidence. This was an assumption that Tony had echoed as well the day of the detonation.

She had been watching the news upstairs and went below to the shop to inform him of the happenings when she found him sprawled on the floor surrounded by disassembled pieces of his beloved Ironmen. Video feeds of Gotham were playing on the countless monitors wrapping the room. Tony was barely conscious when she found him. He was talking out of his head, mumbling on about the Batman and the explosion. “Better hope he catches that rip tide. Cousteau will be pissed either way. All those sharks glowing in the dark, ‘cuz of him. Should’a flown it into space like I did. Puss.”

Pepper shook her head as she recalled gathering him off the floor. He had not made it further than the nearest couch, he was sweating and trembling and had obviously overdone things while she was occupied away from him. She had removed his helmet and the simulator equipment when she discovered his temperature had spiked critically high. That was one of many health scares he had since his decision to remove the ARC reactor.

It had been a tense six months with Gotham under siege and Tony struggling to recover from the removal of residual shrapnel and reactor from his chest. Initially the prognosis had been very positive, but three weeks post surgical, he had developed complications. Reoccurring and unexplained infections had taken a toll on him physically. He had been as helpless as the rest of the world watching as Gotham was forced to endure Bane’s occupation. He lamented again and again the destruction of his automated suits and the option they would have given him to manage the situation remotely.

For the first time Pepper had regretted his actions in destroying his suits as well. She understood why, after defeating the Mandarin, he felt compelled to destroy his army of Ironmen. He was showing her in spectacular fashion that he was finished. He watched her nearly pay the price for his prideful lack of humility and he was taking them both out of the equation. He had given up being the Ironman.

The threat of a nuclear detonation had kept SHIELD agents at bay as well. The president was unwilling to risk an attempt at infiltration with the weight of twelve million Gothamites hanging in the balance. The disturbing images from the government’s only attempt at infiltrating the city sprang forward in her mind. The bodies of the men they had sent in were left to rot as they were hung by their necks from Gotham’s South Channel Bridge. Pepper shuddered as she thought of it. The imagery from Bane’s occupation of Gotham was now as iconic as the footage from the battle for New York.  _I wonder if the siege on Gotham changed Bruce the way New York changed Tony?_

She lifted her phone and thumbed through her photos. Pausing on a picture of Tony, her thumb traced over his image.  _He has been so different since New York and even more so since the Mandarin and the surgery._

They rebuilt their home in Malibu and tried to reclaim their life, but things never got back to the way it had been. His paranoia increased and he developed a growing social anxiety that made him more resistant to leaving the house and by house she meant his basement workshop. Pepper resigned herself to sleeping down there with him most nights, encouraged to do so because his nightmares were not as prevalent there.

 _Maybe it is because it is bunkered. The walls were reinforced stronger than they had been before the attack and escape tunnels ran from the structure five hundred feet beyond the foundation of the house._  That had been at her request. An idea Bruce had suggested in a private moment over the phone when she told him that they were rebuilding.

Pepper remembered fondly those conversations with Bruce as she gazed out at his beloved Gotham City. It was Bruce Wayne that helped her keep her sanity at times. He seemed to have an uncanny insight on what both she and Tony were going through. Her phone erupted in a series of beeps.  _Tony_.

It was bothering him tremendously that she was away from home so often now. She had been shuttling between San Diego and LA all week and had made it home for only one night before she was scheduled to leave for Gotham. They had a blow out over the trip and Tony had come very close to issuing her an ultimatum. Pepper had stopped him physically with her hand over his mouth and a quiet warning, “Don’t say something you are going to regret, Tony. Don’t ask me to make choices. You never put me first when you made the choice to be Ironman. Or when you decided to stop being him.” She dropped her hand away and he remained mercifully silent, but he was not happy.  _Well, too bad. I am not happy either._  Pepper glanced at her watch and sighed.

x

At the same time at Wayne Manor, Selina Kyle thumbed off her phone and looked worriedly down at her own watch. Despite the disconcerting nature of the call her lips lifted in a smile as her finger traced the diamond encrusted crystal display. Bruce had given her the timepiece that very morning. It was a Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Calendar watch.

She knew the specifics from the Google search she had done after Bruce left for the office. She could recite the details from the purity of the white gold that comprised its casing to the various functions that enabled it to track lunar phases. She also knew the incredible cost of it. She glanced down at her ring and her smile deepened. Jewelry had lost its ability to shock her with its cost after having accepted the priceless engagement ring from her generous fiancée. So it was not the value of the watch that had captured her attention, it was the thoughtfulness of Bruce Wayne that captivated her.

Bruce had worked out with Blake that morning despite her hopes that he would sleep in, so she had roused herself for a daybreak run through the hills of the Palisades. The mutt happily accompanied her and remained at her feet when she finally settled in the breakfast nook. Bruce entered the room with a stealth that came effortlessly to him. Selina watched him as she stirred the cup of tea Alfred had graciously poured for her. Ace lifted his head and gave a muffled noise of greeting before returning his chin to rest on Selina’s running shoe. Bruce appraised them with amused approval in his eyes and Selina could not help but smirk. “He’s growing on me.”

Walking up behind her she felt his hand slip under her chin and had to fight the urge to let her eyes slip shut in contentment. He cradled her face as he pressed her head gently into his muscled thigh. They had stayed that way, looking into one another’s eyes for a long moment before Bruce reached down with his other hand and slipped the watch onto her wrist. She had been pleased by the unexpected gift and when she looked back up at him she expected him to offer some romantic reason for the offering. Bruce said nothing, he just grazed her chin with his thumb a final time before relinquishing his hold and taking his place across the table from her.

Selina watched him as he picked up an iPad from a tray Alfred left in anticipation of his arrival. He scrolled through the news headlines, but his eyes did not remain on the screen long before he glanced back at her and they shared another long look. She felt gratitude in that moment that had nothing to do with the gift. She was grateful for something far more valuable than jewelry. She was grateful for second chances. Bruce had been generous with those as well. Every moment they shared together was born from them. “Marry me, Bruce.”

Her soft demand brought a visible reaction to the man across from her. His nose flared as his eyes sparked, “Four days, Selina. It is killing me to wait even that much longer.”

Alfred arrived and presented Bruce with coffee, a wheatgrass protein drink and a perfectly folded egg white omelet. As he refilled Selina’s tea, the elderly butler’s eyes caught the gleam of the watch in the morning sun and politely requested to have a closer look. He identified the maker without pause, “Parmigiani Fleurier. Custom?” The question was directed to Wayne and it was answered with a silent lift of his employer’s brow. “Exceptional design. Functional, elegant, without the ostentatious overstatement prevalent in most watches of its class.” Alfred squeezed Selina’s hand, “It suits you perfectly, Ms. Kyle.”

Selina grounded herself in the here and now, tugging the sleeve of her leather jacket protectively over the timepiece. She had less than thirty minutes to make it across Gotham City if she had any hope of intercepting Pepper Potts as she arrived at the private airstrip. She ran to the garage like her tail was on fire slowing only when she had to make a decision on a vehicle. She needed speed and initially considered the Lamborghini, but as she looked at Bruce’s Tamburini untarped in the corner, she reconsidered.  _A bike would give me better maneuverability_.

She had not considered her own motorcycle as an option. It was a cruiser, not built for race speeds and radical maneuverability, but Bruce’s Italian sports bike was another story.  _SHIELD agents on the ground would have no chance of catching it. Hell, they probably wouldn’t even try_.  _As long as the sky stays clear we would be home free._

She glared down at her arm and the honeycombed cortex cast that stood as a barrier between her and that motorcycle. A minute in the garage with unfettered access to pliers and a clamp vice the casting was broken away from her palm and thumb enough that she could grip the bike’s handlebars. Selina dropped a text to Alfred and slammed down the faceshield on her helmet as she muttered, “Would a little more notice have killed you, Tony?”

X

One woman and two men flanked Pepper Potts as she disembarked the private jet, the Stark Logo was embossed across the back quarter of the aircraft. The group gathered on the tarmac as the security team scanned the area before indicating to their charge that it was safe to proceed. Selina’s sharp eyes did not miss the look of annoyance that flashed quickly across Pepper’s face. Her own small smile of understanding was hidden behind the blacked out visor of her helmet.

She left the bike running, idling restlessly under her as one leg braced on the ground while the other remained at the ready balanced on the foot peg. She had only just arrived as they disembarked from the plane; her pulse was still strumming from her breakneck race across the city. Selina was not surprised to feel the watchful eyes of the security team on her as they assessed the area for possible threats. She was aware of how she may have looked sitting outside the fenced perimeter of Wayne Airfield in her blacked-out helmet and leather jacket.

She lifted the bike slightly and heeled down the kickstand. The bike rocked to rest as she slipped off her helmet, her long hair tumbled over her shoulders, and she saw the immediate response of the agents. Dismissal. “Et tu brute.” Selina sighed in disappointment as she watched the female agent disregard her presence completely as they completed the hand off to the waiting agents. “No wonder Stark wanted me here. So much for SHIELD security, but it’s about what I’ve come to expect from government types.”

Selina continued to watch them in her peripheral vision as she fiddled with her helmet. She took a moment to activate the mapping software Fox had installed. A bright display lit up inside the helmet, she adjusted the resolution as the team made their way to a waiting vehicle. She had already painted the SUV with an infrared beacon as she pulled in. Global positioning satellites belonging to Wayne Enterprises were now coordinating to track the position of the vehicle. The locator beacon was blinking helpfully on the map display as she fitted the helmet back over her head.

Trusting the tech to alert her of any deviation Selina pulled out ahead of the car. There was no need to follow when you already knew the destination. The itinerary Stark sent her had Pepper going to an energy conference at the Gotham convention center and then a late dinner appointment with Bruce and Fox. Bruce mentioned that detail himself over breakfast, warning her that he would be getting home late because of it.

Selina was a block and a half ahead when the course of the SUV altered. She cursed as she wheeled the bike in a hot burnout in the middle of the intersection of 84th street. She was doing sixty zipping between cars as she crested the hill. She watched as the dark GMC SUV cut down Washington. Selina frowned as she tracked along behind them.

According to Stark, security on Potts had been turned over to Gotham based SHIELD agents at the airstrip. Anyone that commuted in Gotham knew better than to try to take Washington Boulevard downtown. It was still only two lanes and the off ramps were closed for a six-mile stretch. Traffic was such that Potts would be lucky to make her meeting on time _._

 _Not a mistake I would have expected from a SHIELD agent stationed in Gotham City._ Selina took the lull in traffic to make a call. She activated the blue tooth in the helmet and tried to reach Bruce. It rang through twice before Selina tried another number. It connected on the first ring, “Go for Blake.”

She rolled her eyes as an unintended smile appeared behind her visor. “Sorry, wrong number I was trying to reach Robin.” She chuckled at the growl she received in response. “What’s your twenty baby bats?” Blake responded back with his position, which was a few miles to the east of her current position. “I have a little situation. Check the server for my coordinates and target. We are looking to protect a package. This is as high-profile as it comes.”

Blake made another sound of disagreement and Selina’s smile deepened as she changed lanes to keep a visual on the vehicle. Blake was argumentative as she anticipated he might be but this was all last minute and she was winging it. In the midst of his protest, she heard the squeal of tires as he braked his car and the GPS showed him moving toward her.

Xx

His mustang swung in behind her three miles from the convention center. Selina slid over to the middle lane and allowed him to pass. He gave her a look as he went by and she returned a nod of acknowledgment. He gassed it and dropped in three vehicles behind the SUV. Selina peeled off and raced down the side street. Wrong way on a one way had her leap frogging ahead of the caravan. She parked the bike on the sidewalk ditched her helmet and was in the convention center three minutes before Pepper was released at the entrance.

Watching from the glass doors elevators Selina scanned the group. Four now…all male. One of the agents was carrying a wardrobe bag. She smiled as she dropped back from the glass. She hit the button for the fourth floor and took the stairs up to five where the meeting was scheduled to take place.

A pilfered security badge lifted from a guard she passed in the lobby was the best she could do on short notice. She flipped it backwards tossed her Bluetooth ear bud in to her ear and threw on her sunglasses. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail to ensure that the ear bud was visible. The only thing she could add to her disguise was a no nonsense attitude, luckily for Selina that was one disguise she carried with her everywhere.

The bad bitch routine deterred the catering staff from approaching her and once she started demanding changes to their set up stating security measures the event security deferred to her as well. Hotel security was obviously expecting additional support from the outside and accepted blindly that the mean ass woman in leather was one of them. Selina located the bathrooms and did a quick sweep of the room. Four stalls. Glass windows. She worked quickly, stepping up on the commode she forced open the window and analyzed her escape route.

x

Blake gained access to the meeting courtesy of his Wayne Enterprise credentials. He took a seat in the back row masking his unease completely with a forced calmness. He avoided eye contact and kept his movements slight and insignificant. He blended and was ignored once seated. His eyes narrowed as he recognized three men from the Wayne Enterprise lobby. They walked in, presented their own set of credentials, and were seated. A silent look was shared between them and a man seated on the panel. A look of disgust passed over the older man’s face when one of the three men shook his head. The look was gone as quickly as it had appeared leaving his face hard and unreadable.

Blake slid closer to the security guard onto aisle; flashing his old PD credentials to catch his attention. “Hey pal, who is that?” Blake nodded toward the Caucasian man.

“Anasenko Nikitovich,” the guard replied, “Russian bigwig. Word is he controls half of Russia’s oil production.”

Blake sat back and digested that information as he slipped out his cell phone and texted Bruce.  **We may be in the middle of something big here. I just don’t know what. Watch yourself.**

x

xx

The Wayne Enterprise chopper skimmed above the skyline. The whirling blades of the craft powered the lift above the bridges connecting the East and West boroughs of Gotham City. Bruce adjusted the earpiece in his ear and focused back on his computer as his fingertips flew over the keyboard.

Since receiving Blake’s message, he had been monitoring the police band and accessed the audio feed from the convention center. He winced a little as he adjusted the volume on the audio.  _Fox would not like this set up one bit. If the sonar experience had taught me one thing it was that Fox had very high moral compass that guided him and things that were in the gray were broached with him at my peril._ He smirked as he thought of Selina calling him a boy scout.  _Fox and Alfred might disagree with you on that description kitten. They have seen me walking on the dark side to get results too many times._

The thought of Selina had him trying to raise her again on the communicator to no avail. How had she got into the middle of this he had no idea. Still, if Pepper was facing a potential threat, there are no better people to help than the two in position right now.  _After all, it’s not like she can depend on the Ironman to be there for her anymore_. Wayne’s thoughts ran to Stark and his face darkened.

 _He has been off the radar for months now. That debacle with the Mandarin had taken a toll on him. Pepper said he was not the same after New York_ _,_ _but things really came to a head at the naval yard. Tony went completely off the reservation. Maybe it was because he had come so close to losing Pepper—hell_ _,_ _I of all people could understand that, but destroying the suits? That was totally out of character_ _,_ _even for Tony._

From the satellite imagery Bruce had collected, their destruction looked like a Fourth of July celebration with explosions bursting over the water. As things turned out it was anything but a patriotic celebration, instead it was Stark’s way of giving his middle finger to the US government. After having lost control of the Iron Patriot the government would have doubtlessly been coming for his privatized armament under the guise of ‘risk containment.’ Instead of waiting for them to come for them, he gave it to them. He deployed and destroyed every one of them...or so he had testified to Congress.

Stark had stood in front of Congress and declared himself out of the privatized security business. Shortly after he had the Arc device removed from his chest. A largely symbolic gesture according to Pepper, something to show her and the world that he was really done with the Ironman. Tony Stark had officially retired the Ironman.

The surgery had gone textbook, but his recovery after was marred by infections and complications that, according to Pepper, were still manifesting. Bruce and Lucius discussed it at length with Pepper and they all felt there was more than biology to blame for the unexpected illnesses.

Stark had shown a pronounced reaction to the Palladium introduced into his system. It was not farfetched to believe that it could be the same for the material he replaced it with. The exact nature of the effects could only be speculated on as neither Bruce nor Fox knew what the Palladium had been replaced by. Pepper had told him in confidence her concerns with Tony’s condition. It was apparent that she had lost faith that he was telling her the truth of his condition. She had evidently been kept in the dark so long that she no longer looked to either Tony nor SHIELD to provide her with honest answers.

Bruce settled in and watched the sonar impulses from Blake’s cell as it pinged the convention hall. Blake had painted three men and the Russian oil tycoon as hostiles. No Selina as of yet although according to her locator she was in the building. A direct audio connection was opened when Bruce linked into Blake’s earpiece. Bruce felt another wave of pride as he looked at the monitor. Blake was calm and collected as he studied his surroundings. His cool manner was more than just skin deep, a fact Bruce knew to be true due to Blake’s bio readings displayed in the upper corner of his computer monitor. Surprisingly, no guilt surfaced at having implanted the young man with a tracking scanner.

Wayne glanced up at the other corner to Selina’s readings and smiled, as she was running a bit hotter than Blake. Her blood pressure and pulse were clicking along at the upper end of her normal. Selina had been implanted the night she took on Waylon Jones. He injected the monitor, a device the side of a grain of rice, into the fleshy swell of her glute, slipping the large bore needle into her already numb skin as he carried her through the cave to the showers.

Bruce brushed his thumb over the monitor clearing a fine layer of dust from the screen. It gave him a grim satisfaction that the device was hidden in that fine bottom she took such delight in taunting him with. Blake’s had been almost as simple. He implanted in the younger man in trapezius the day after hers, as they trained in the courtyard.

Fox and Alfred had proven the most difficult as Bruce felt the obligation to provide informed consent to both of the men before implantation. There were two left to administer and Bruce was struggling with how to best broach the subject. He thought of little Meghan and her trusting blue eyes and his resolve hardened. _One way or another, Jim, it is happening._

He did not try to analyze why he needed these safe guard as much as he did. The fact was having them activated gave him a small amount of peace. As he watched Selina’s beacon he ground his jaw, “A very small peace indeed.”

x

Selina gave Blake a subtle look as she entered the room. She walked in several minutes before Pepper and her entourage. Two SHIELD agents made to block Selina’s approach but a quick word from Potts and they reluctantly stepped away. Selina looked sorely undressed to be a participant in the panel, but she did look the part of security. She had a prickly vibe that Blake picked up all the way across the room. He smirked as he sent her a text.  **‘Lighten up Katniss. We want the bad guys to actually try something.’**

Twenty minutes later they did, but when things finally calmed Pepper Potts was nowhere to be found.

It appeared in the beginning that SHIELD agents were scrambling to control the scene, and then in an unexpected turn, they opened fire on the panel shooting both the Russian and a Saudi Arabian oil baron named Shahzad Gabr point-blank in the chest. Blake took down two of the gunmen himself as they began shooting into the crowd. The security officers brought down the other two agents with small arm fire. The guard Blake had spoken to collapsed after making his shot, succumbing to a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Bruce watched the attack unfold on the security video as the WE helo touched down on the roof of the convention center. Cursing under his breath he searched for Selina’s tracker. He found the beacon tracking at over a hundred miles per hour down the 403.

He isolated her position and a satellite image blinked to life lagging on a digital feed error before clearing. The rapid succession photo relays showed her helmetless on his motorcycle, weaving dangerously between vehicles. He increased the magnification and lost the feed for a moment before verifying there was a passenger on the motorcycle. His maniac fiancée was driving and from the looks of the strawberry hair whipping from underneath the helmet they wore, it was none other than Pepper Potts hanging on for dear life behind her.

The satellite connection went dark. Bruce tried three other Wayne Satellites and found them all non-responsive. Bruce dialed directly into Selina’s cell, hoping she had a Bluetooth connection in the helmet. He could tell from the wind noise that he had connected. “Pepper. Bruce.”

Bruce imagined the bike threading between vehicles as he listened to the motor revving and Pepper’s audible inhale as she gasped out an expletive before her laugh filled the cockpit.

“Your fiancée is insane, Bruce Wayne!”

“Tell me about it,” he growled under his breath.

“What’s that? I can’t hear you clearly.”

“I assume my better half has invited you to spend the evening at the manor?” From what he had seen via satellite, the motorcycle was eating up miles as it streaked toward the Palisades.

“Actually, Bruce, we haven’t had much opportunity to discuss the evening’s entertainment.”

“Consider the invitation extended then.” Bruce covered over the mouthpiece and directed his command to the pilot, “Wayne Manor. Set down on the west lawn.”

X

Pepper stood in the bathroom toweling off her face as she leaned in and examined her reflection. The faint blush from the earlier escapes and scrubbing towel had left a warm flush on her skin. Fatigue seemed to permeate her and she thought briefly of begging off from dinner, but propriety forbade it.  _Wayne and his fiancée certainly deserved better than me hiding in their guest room._

She shuffled out of the hall bathroom and looked out the window in alarm as a helicopter approached the house. Alfred appeared at her side, “No need to be concerned Ms. Potts. That will be Master Wayne arriving in the helo.” Pepper relaxed visibly at his reassurance. She noticed the emerald green dress that hung from his finger and a silver tray filled with makeup balanced in his hand. Alfred glanced down at the items, “A few amenities sent by Ms. Kyle. She thought they might make your stay more comfortable. Allow me to show you to your room, Ms. Potts. You will likely enjoy a moment to freshen up before dinner.”

Allowing Alfred to lead her into a room off from the main hall, Pepper smiled liking the soft rose color of the walls and comfortable looking bedspreads.  _Wayne Manor is everything my house with Tony isn’t._ Accustomed to the modern cutting edge design of her Malibu cliff home Pepper found herself charmed by the timeless elegant comfort of Wayne Manor.

Looking up at Alfred she thought immediately of JARVIS and her eyes nearly teared.  _Tony had crafted him in Alfred’s image. He denies it, but I know._ She pressed a kiss against the butler’s cheek smiling at the blended smells of cinnamon and aftershave, knowing that she would likely associate them from now on with this feeling of pampered protection, “Thank you, Alfred.”

He smiled softy and nodded as he placed the dress carefully across the end of the bed and settled the tray of makeup on the dresser. “You will find the bathroom stocked with the necessities, Ms. Potts. If there is anything else you require just ring.” He straightened his jacket and his face turned more serious, “Master Wayne did request that you refrain from contacting anyone until you have time to discuss the events of this afternoon. I am reluctant to say, Ms. Potts that this includes your friends at SHIELD and Mr. Stark.”

Pepper nodded her understanding and thanked him again as he disappeared silently from the room. Pepper walked to the window and watched as the helicopter crested the ridge of trees bordering the lawns. It hovered for a moment before setting smoothly down on the grass. Bruce Wayne stepped out of the craft, his shoulders hunched to allow for clearance of the blades He gave a small salute to the pilot. He turned and walked from under the canopy of spinning blades, then straightened and spread his arms wide. His reaction was just in time to catch the leaping body of Selina Kyle.

Pepper watched intently, if not somewhat guiltily, as Bruce Wayne gave the woman a twirl in his arms. Then he was kissing her. Standing with his arms banded around her torso as she fisted her hand in his hair. Pepper felt the passion all the way to her bedroom.  _Bruce Wayne…who would have thought it_... When he finally lowered Selina to the ground, his lips remained pressed to hers and he held her possessively at the waist.

The helicopter lifted off and neither they nor Pepper really seemed to register it.

Bruce’s only acknowledgment of the external environment was to clear Selina’s blowing hair away from her face as he smiled down at her. He said something that made Selina drop her head back and laugh and Pepper found her becoming emotional. She was not jealous over Selina and she certainly would never begrudge Bruce his happiness. No, she knew exactly what was driving her feelings, she was emotional over her own loss of passion...the loss of connection with Tony.

She glanced over at the phone beside the bed as she considered calling him just to let him know she was all right. She clamped down on her emotions deciding to follow Alfred’s direction and wait until Bruce gave the all clear.  _Something happened today and it went deeper than a terrorist attack by an extremist group. The way Selina covered our tracks out of the convention center... Ditching my cell phone and jewelry…taking every precaution not to be discovered by the SHIELD agents scouring the building. It all leaves me wondering who, outside of Bruce’s group, can I really trust right now?_

She sat down on the edge of the bed chewing her thumb nail, “What is going on, Tony?”


	15. Chapter 15

The large black dog stood as Pepper entered the room. She froze for a moment alarmed by the animal’s size and years of breed vilification by the media. Its soft eyes betrayed its gentle nature so when it approached her she did not hesitate in offering it a kind greeting along with a tentative stroke of its head.

Alfred gave a disapproving throat clear and the chastened dog retreated to stand beside a young man who had also gathered to his feet. Hesitating for a moment Pepper struggled to place his face. She accepted an offered glass of wine from Alfred’s tray using the distraction to wrack her brain for the familiarity. It finally clicked, “You...you were at the conference.”

It was a statement not a question so Blake simply nodded and offered his hand in greeting as Alfred presented him, “Master Jonathan Blake, Ms. Virginia Potts.” Pepper shook his hand with a grip stronger than Blake had anticipated. He tried valiantly not to allow his eyes to leave her face and wander over her athletic frame. He had already gotten a good look at her as she entered. The dress she was wearing accented her long legs, hitting her right above her knees. The shimmering green fabric played well against her strawberry hair and fair complexion.

“You are obviously an acquaintance of Bruce, are you a business partner or a friend?”

“As of today, Ms. Potts, Mr. Blake happens to be both.” The deep timbre of Lucius Fox’s voice was eminently soothing and Pepper reacted as she often did when finding herself in Fox’s calming presence. Her shoulders dropped and her chin lift as she turned to meet the kindness of his brown eyes with her own trouble filled blues.

“Lucius.” His name was spoken in relief as she walked without hesitation into his welcoming embrace. “I was worried about you. I didn’t know if you might have been caught up in that chaos.”

Still dressed from the office in his navy suit and matching bowtie, Lucius accepted the woman in his arms and held her tightly for a moment. He rested his chin on her head and patted her back reassuringly until she reluctantly released him. “You gave all of us a scare today, Ms. Potts.”

Fox’s concern made her smile again despite the circumstances. “Well you know me, Lucius. I love being the center of attention.”

Fox shook his head knowingly, “With a companion the likes of Tony Stark I do not doubt that it takes events such as these to steal his spotlight.” An exasperated look of agreement flashed over her face, but Fox was observant enough to catch it. “Complications in California?”

Stepping back Pepper took a fortifying sip of wine and nodded, “Very complicated.”

The sound of Bruce’s voice approaching in the hall had the occupants of the room facing the door as he made his entrance. He had changed in to a black turtleneck and charcoal grey slacks. Pepper narrowly suppressed a chuckle. Even casual Bruce Wayne had an edge about him. He always reminded her of a secret agent, cruelly handsome with a veiled power and calculating intelligence that he wielded like a weapon. Dropping his cell into a pocket of his neatly pressed slacks, the thunderstorm of emotion cleared from Bruce’s eyes as they lit upon his guest.

Pepper felt herself warmed from the obvious relief Bruce showed at finding her well and among his entourage of friends. “Shooter, you took some years off my life today. I want you to know that.” His words were spoken under his breath and the sentence finished as a whisper in her ear as they had both crossed the room quickly to embrace one another.

Standing there amongst Bruce’s most intimate circle, housed and protected in his very residence Pepper finally felt her anxiety drop away. She knew she should have released him, it was not exactly proper etiquette to latch onto an engaged man, especially not one that you were in business with, but she held on a beat longer. When Bruce’s arms tightened around her, she found herself leaning against him. His words were still just for her when he spoke again, “You are alright, aren’t you, Pep?”

She nodded wordless into his neck and she felt him let out a small sigh of relief. “Anthony is concerned about you.” She made a noise of frustration and made to pull away but Bruce held her close, “I’m the one that should be pissy. I just spent the last thirty minutes on the phone with him.” Pepper laughed and when they separated some of the stress she had been feeling had dissipated from her eyes. Bruce held her by the elbows and frowned at her, “You seriously owe me for running interference.”

Smiling she glanced over at Blake, “Bruce, I think I owe you for more than just shielding me from Tony. “

Her acknowledgment brought a small flush to Blake’s cheeks. He had been watching her intently since she walked into the room and her attention on him now made him shift uneasily under her steady gaze. Bruce gave Blake a look of approval before acknowledging the silent, but not unnoticed arrival of his fiancée. “I take it during the course of today’s escapades you have met my bride to be as well?” He nodded his perfectly coiffed head toward the door where Selina stood alongside Alfred.

Pepper seemed taken aback by Selina’s stealthy appearance but recovered herself immediately. She glanced up at Bruce and gave him a warm smile. “Things were a little hectic. We were never formally introduced.”

With a click of his tongue and a shake of his head, Bruce was maneuvering her toward the silent brunette. “I’m afraid that will just not do.” He smiled at Selina, “It is my great pleasure to introduce you both. Ms. Virginia Potts, may I present to you my fiancée, Ms. Selina Kyle.”

Selina’s lips curled into a smile as she listened to Bruce Wayne’s overdone introduction. She had taken a glass of wine from the tray Alfred placed on the serving table by the door and watched silently as Bruce reunited with Potts. She was surprised that not even a twinge of jealousy sparked in her when she saw the woman in Bruce’s arms. Selina pondered her temperate response and congratulated herself on showing what Bruce would doubtlessly define as personal growth. It was obvious that Bruce Wayne cared deeply for Pepper, which made it even more intriguing, that the CEO of Stark Industries did not threaten her.  _God help everybody if it had been the Treasury agent with her hands on Bruce..._

Selina was surprised again when after their introduction Pepper did not extend her hand but rather stepped forward and embraced her with a tight hug as well. Selina looked over Pepper’s shoulder at Bruce with mild amusement in her eyes as he watched on with a wistful satisfaction.

“I never got a chance to say thank you for what you did today.” Pepper gave her another squeeze before releasing her. “I don’t know what would have happened had you not shown up when you did.” Pepper’s gratitude was obvious, but being unaccustomed to praise Selina was uncomfortable in the moment. She gave her a mumbled a response before hiding behind her crystal wine glass as she took another quick drink. Undeterred, Pepper continued to smile at her modest rescuer. “I have looked forward to meeting you for a while now, Ms. Kyle. Bruce has spoken so much of you that I feel I know you already.”

Selina chanced a glance at her fiancé, “He speaks very highly of you as well, Ms. Potts.”

Bruce’s arm slipped easily around Selina’s waist and they seemed to melt into one another as Pepper looked on approvingly. “I should thank you for lending me this dress. I adore it. The one you are wearing is lovely as well. You have exquisite taste, Ms. Kyle.”

Bruce squeezed Selina against him as he took a moment to appreciate the dress she had selected for herself. It was one they had picked up in France. An Alexander McQueen black bustier dress. The gold embroidery accented her chest with a subdued sexiness that had captured his attention the moment the fabric touched her skin. He doubted that Selina had the faintest idea of whom the designer was or the substantial cost of the dress itself. They came to an understanding after the first boutique that she would not bother pretending that he couldn’t afford the exorbitant prices.

Alfred cleared his throat and bowed toward the master and mistress of the house before addressing the group, “Dinner will be served shortly.”

Bruce did not miss Selina’s small hum of discontent. He smiled into his own crystal glass of ginger ale; “I hope you remembered to set a place for yourself, Alfred.”

Alfred raised a brow but held his tongue preferring to maintain his formal bearing in front of their guest, but his eyes rested on Selina and he exhaled a small huff of air, “I believe the missus and I have come to terms on this issue for this evening Master Wayne.” Selina gave Bruce a squeeze as Alfred turned smartly on his heel and walked determinedly from the room.

Pepper watched the interaction with reserved amusement, “I feel like I’m missing something?”

Bruce smiled as he sipped his beverage, “A battle of wills. My bride-to-be seems determined to wear propriety right off Mr. Pennyworth.”

Selina smirked up at him, “He is British though, so I still have a long way to go.”

Fox appeared at Pepper’s elbow, offering her the glass of wine she had abandoned, which she accepted graciously. His eyes were inquisitive as they landed on Selina. “Quite a daring rescue you affected today, Ms. Kyle. Mr. Blake and I were discussing the turn of events and I just have to ask, how was it that you came to know of the pending attack on Ms. Potts?”

Selina shrugged, “Stark called me. Said he thought something might be going down at the conference.” She followed her words with a nonchalant sip of her wine.

Fox’s gaze remained steadfast with curiosity, therefore, it was Bruce’s more visceral reaction to her words that drew her attention. His face darkened and she could feel the prickly intensity of his gaze. Pepper seemed equally taken aback by Stark’s involvement.

Selina glanced warily at the people surrounding her and then her eyes met with Blake’s who seemed equally uneasy with the shift in the room.

Pepper looked confused, “Tony called you?”

Not waiting for a response to Pepper’s question Bruce pinned Selina with a question of his own, “Why would Stark contact you? How would he even know how to reach you?”

Feeling the stiffness of his arm around her, Selina edged away suddenly hesitant to answer, “Why is everyone getting weird about this?” Her eyes flicked between Bruce and Potts and then back to Fox. Lucius seemed the only person not twisted up about where she had received her information. Suddenly getting Fox alone to ask what the hell was going on was rapidly becoming her priority.

Pepper asked the question innocently enough, but after having caught Wayne’s general tone, Selina hesitated. It was a brief pause, but it registered with Wayne. His eyes sharpened and he listened for the lie in her next words.

“He called me to inform me of the intel.” She gave Pepper a small shrug “He must not have received the update on Wayne Enterprises newest appointed security advisor.” She sipped her wine and Bruce watched as she swallowed hard, “Bruce didn’t make the newest posting with nearly as much flare as he did with mine. “ She snuck a look at Blake who seemed uneasy with the direction of the conversation, “No offense intended I’m sure.” She had to stop herself short from calling him Robin. The near faux pas made her smile in spite of the tense situation.

Blake bailed her out by filling the void; “Well I would like to think I did my part once I was finally clued in on the situation. “

Pepper turned to him and smiled, “From what I saw and the reports from the news you did a fine job of handling the situation, Mr. Blake. Many people are grateful to you tonight, me being one.” Her eyes blinked back to Bruce who quickly forced his gaze away from Selina.

Fox materialized beside Selina and traded a wine glass she had not realized she had emptied for another somewhat fuller goblet. “It appears, Ms. Kyle, that you are on the outside of a rather long existing inside joke.” Selina’s eyes met his and Fox saw a semblance of concern in them that he was not surprised to find. He sensed something was amiss so he endeavored on in conversation, “Mr. Wayne and Mr. Stark, despite their numerous affiliations, associations and like-minded interests have, in the past, shared what could be described as best as…a tumultuous friendship.” Fox glanced at Pepper and was rewarded with a small smirk of approval at his discretion. Fox focused back on Bruce who was ominously silent, “Would you agree with that assessment Mr. Wayne?”

“Everything except the friendship piece. We were always more rivals, distant acquaintances at best.” As he spoke his eyes slipped from Fox to Selina. He was obviously searching for answers that she was steadfast in not revealing.

The few moments Fox’s intervention had bought her were enough to get Selina caught up in the situation. She spoke up, her voice holding a bite of sarcasm, “Funny, you and Stark seem like peas in a pod. Both Billionaire business men and playboys,” Selina nodded at Pepper in deference, “Back in the day, of course.” She returned her attention to Bruce, “Both so very interested in being the hero, intent on saving the world.” 

Bruce did not seem as perturbed by Selina’s obvious double entendre as she had intended and it rankled her for a moment to consider that Potts might already know of his alter identity. Thinking better of things, Selina offered a more mundane basis then brotherhood of superheroes for her pervious save the world statement. “What with your individual and now collective efforts on the energy project, one would naturally assume you and Stark were at least trusted associates...possibly much more.”

Selina let the  _more_  linger, but Bruce did not hesitate to clarify things. “The more between Stark and I is the woman you pulled out of harm’s way today, Selina, and Pepper Potts is my partner in the energy program. She is also the only connection Stark and I have in common or ever will.”

Ever the diplomat, Pepper slipped her hand around Selina’s waist and Bruce’s arm and guided them over to the sofa. “Enough about Tony. Now what I do want to know from you two is information about this wedding. Spill it. I want details.” Pepper proceeded to direct the conversation and it surrounded the wedding, the honeymoon, the ring, and the house remodel. Alfred was thankfully present to participate as Selina and Bruce, once pressed for details, were at a loss to give much without Pennyworth’s input.

Blake stayed quiet for the majority of the conversation, talking privately to Fox or whispering a supportive word to Ace for remaining calmly at his side when he knew the dog wished to comfort Selina, who for all her efforts, still seemed tense and distracted. The better actor between them was Bruce Blake decided, though he knew Selina would never admit such. To the untrained eye, the billionaire was the epitome of cool charm. He was everything you would expect from one of the richest man in the word. Calm, confident, charming, and engaging to the beautiful women that surrounded him, but Blake saw more. There were tells that spoke to Bruce being more on the job than off. His eyes were alert and searching. The way he tilted his head when Selina spoke was as if he were filtering her every word.

Selina had pulled something and Bruce knew it. He might not know what but he knew something was up. Blake frowned into his glass, wishing for a beer rather than the ginger ale Alfred had brought to him. Blake shook his head and grimaced at the taste knowing he would be grateful later when he had a clear head about him as he maneuvered over the rooftops of Gotham. As the conversation veered toward Stark again Blake looked up at Selina and saw her nearly wince.  _Bruce is going to blow his stack when he found out just how she really knows Tony Stark._

Blake had discovered the money transfers shortly after the private unveiling of Wayne Manor. Bruce approached him that night and asked him to look into the financing of the Wayne Manor remodel. Bruce wanted to know if Selina had covered her tracks. He told Blake that he was confident that if he could not find anything connecting her or it to ill-gotten gains then no one else would likely find it by happenstance. Bruce had not said what he was going to do if he uncovered anything illegal. Blake assumed he would right whatever wrong she had committed, grease a few people, and have the entire thing over with.  _Knowing Selina as I do now I would do the same myself. Though I would make her sweat it out some first._

One thing about Selina Blake had no doubt about was that she would have stood up and taken the wrap for it all had it ever come down to it. He smiled as he swirled the amber liquid in the wine glass. He put his all into the investigation, knowing it was up to him to ensure that things did not come down to that. He had to be positive that Wayne Enterprises, Bruce, Fox and Alfred were free from any connections to Selina’s nefarious dealings, that was the very least he could do for all of them considering what they had done for him. Selina too, for that matter.

The anonymous donation for the rebuild at Tom and Martha’s was as untraceable as she had promised Bruce. Bearer bonds purchased in cash, issued by a bank in Monaco.

If investigated it would be assumed that it was from Wayne himself, or maybe from a third-party in appreciation for his efforts abroad to curtail terrorism. It was, in and of itself, simply a charitable, untraceable act. The only connection was one Bruce himself had drawn to the sum of money that correlated almost exactly with the moneys associated with Fox’s personal assistant. It was a similar sum, but not close enough to draw suspicion. If Selina had indeed been the source of the donation she had kept a sizable reserve of cash for herself. Whether that be to avoid detection on the donation or for a rainy day fund of her own one could only speculate. Speculation was the best Blake could do as he was unable to find any account that linked Jessica’s blood money to Selina. It was as clean a clip as he had ever encountered.

Blake had not liked that he was starting to appreciate the criminal side of Selina Kyle so he redoubled his efforts in investigating the financing of the Wayne Manor remodel.

The payments and donations to Ginger Fox construction were easier to follow though they were dispersed through vast numbers of charitable organizations. The organizations themselves were diverse and seemed to have no correlation with one another. Online searches showed different chair boards and fellows with no obvious overlaps or connections. He had rolled back year after year, searching for a connection. As data became harder to come by, he ended up in the Gotham library surrounded by microfiche records flipping through newspaper photos and bylines until finally a name appeared twice.

Howard Stark.

He took the thread and pulled, and then it was hit after hit. Howard Stark and the Fellowship of Fallen Veteran’s, Howard Stark and Scientist for a Better Tomorrow, Howard Stark-Military Special Operations Wounded Foundations, Howard Stark New York’s League of Gentlemen, Howard Stark-MIT Communities in Need Charity Outreach. The list went on and on.

Since Howard Stark had long since passed the link was obviously Tony Stark and more likely than he, Pepper Potts. Armed with information that Selina was not at risk and monies donated were traceable only to reputable sources Blake was left with the decision on whether to inform Bruce of its origins. Stark and Potts had obviously wished their donation to remain private or private until they decided otherwise so Blake had left things at that. He followed up with Bruce and told him that nothing illegal was uncovered and that all donations were from anonymous or reputable sources.  _No lie there._

That good intent was of hollow comfort as he listened with growing dread as Fox ran down the specifics on the relationship of Stark and Wayne. As Fox spoke it had not been only Selina’s color that drained away.  _At least she has alcohol to get her through_  Blake thought as he looked bitterly at his glass.

Alfred appeared unnoticed at his side, “May I freshen your drink, Master Blake?”

Blake offered a weak smile, “Why not Alfred, I’m not driving. Hit me again.”

x

It was during dinner that the package arrived. It was by carrier from Cartier. Alfred was summoned by one of the staff and he immediately took charge of the delivery. He transported it briskly to a room off the main where he placed it gingerly inside a fortified metal box where it was immediately sealed and dropped into a blast chamber below the house.

Alfred waited patiently as the scan results were produced on a computer screen on the wall. The package scanned clear of explosives and poisons. X-ray revealed a letter and two small parcels that were obviously jewelry.

Alfred removed the package, cutting the satin ribbon that bound it. The note was addressed to Pepper, but the cases were marked for Blake and Selina. From the x-ray he could tell Blake’s was a watch. Alfred satisfied his own overwhelming curiosity and opened Selina’s. The first thing that caught his eye was the note. _Thanks S. You never disappoint. Tony._ Alfred frowned and thought for the second time in Master Wayne’s employment that he held a note in his hand worthy of a torch. He sighed down at the contents of the box as he clapped it shut in defeat.

He took the note and two cases into the hall where he placed them on a silver tray all the while trying to think of a way to defuse the situation should things spiral out of hand. “Mr. Stark, you always were one for cocking things up.” He muttered the remark as he rounded the corner and then forced his face into a mask of polite indifference that even Blake could not see through. “Mr. Blake, you and the lovely ladies of the Manor are the recipients of a parcel.” Without looking Alfred knew that Bruce was on alert, “Of course it has been properly scanned and secured Master Wayne, as always.”

He placed the note beside Pepper’s plate glad that the young woman had eaten her fill before the note had arrived. Alfred hoped that despite Stark’s propensity for theatrics and self-absorption that he might have actually managed to be a human being somewhere in the lines of the letter. He then placed a leather case beside Blake and rounded the table where he set a small black velvet box on the table and handed Selina the note directly. “For you, Ms. Kyle.”

Alfred eyed Bruce knowingly, having intentionally avoided placing the note on the table. Reading upside down was a trick they both knew he had perfected as a child.

Selina watched Bruce out of her peripheral vision as he scanned the room observing Pepper open her own letter and Blake open his parcel. He did not relax despite Alfred’s assurance that the packages were safe. This was something Selina recognized for herself as Alfred sat the dark box in front of her.  _Hell, I would rather it be a bomb. At least I would know how to handle that._   _This was much worse if the look on Bruce’s face is any indication._

Selina was grateful that dinner was being served in the main dining room. Thanks to Alfred, she was sitting across from her fiancé when she read the note from Stark. She cracked open the box to discover purple diamond teardrop earrings that perfectly matched her engagement ring.  _Stark, you are a dead man and I will be lucky if Bruce lets me live long enough to attend your funeral..._  She closed the lid of the box and returned the items to Alfred’s waiting tray. “Thank you, Alfred. Would you be so kind as to secure those items for me?”

Alfred placed a white-gloved hand on the box trapping the letter beneath, “Of course.” He took his leave of the room in his elegant unhurried way, stopping briefly to give direction to the servers to clear plates and bring dessert.

Selina watched with absorbed interest the clearing of the place settings, as she needed the diversion from Potts and Wayne. Pepper had yet to look up from her note, which had obviously been substantially wordier, yet likely not more damning than the one she herself received from Stark.

Blake was the only one besides Fox to make eye contact with Bruce. He slid the watch and letter over to Bruce who gave the watch a cursory glance before reading and returning the letter to Blake. “I suppose I should ask if there is any issue with me accepting this type of gratuity from Stark,” Blake offered when Bruce did not provide a reaction. “I mean on the force you couldn’t take anything without it looking like a kickback.”

Pepper looked up from her letter with a horrified expression on her face. Bruce gave a small shake of his head, “There is no problem with it Blake. I’m sure it is just an appreciation gift for the role you played ensuring Ms. Potts safety.” He looked over at Selina and gave her a predatory smile, “Is that what yours was as well, my dear?”

Selina nodded as she took another sip of wine, “It was. “

Bruce sat his own glass down onto the table and his head tilted, “You sent yours away so quickly I didn’t see what you received.”

Selina shrugged, “Earrings. Very lovely.” Selina looked around the table. “I don’t know about everyone else, but I have my heart set on dessert.”

“Dessert? Really? I don’t think I have ever seen you partake before, Selina. It must be a special occasion indeed.” Bruce baited her as he leaned forward in his chair his interest sharpening as he watched his fiancée fidget under his gaze.

“Well, you haven’t seen the dessert. How is a girl expected to resist?”

Alfred raised a brow and motioned for the bowl of berries that had been intended for Selina be removed and a dish of tiramisu placed in front of her in its place. He whispered something in her ear. Nodding Selina swallowed hard and picked up her spoon. Bruce watched Selina brave a few bites of the dessert and he nearly chuckled. What Alfred had doubtlessly told her was that the dessert contained coffee and even more repellant to Selina...eggs. Bruce ate a spoon full of the rich confection from his dish. The creamy mix was positively rife with egg yolks. To her credit, Selina powered through it.  _Her stubbornness knows no bounds._  Alfred must have seen her struggling because he appeared at her side with a cup of tea.

“As you are not accustomed to such rich fare, Ms. Kyle, might I suggest a touch of tea to clear your palate.” The elegant butler bowed deeply and spoke again into her ear before dropping a hand on her shoulder and giving her a supportive squeeze. Selina remained pale and mute as Alfred himself cleared away her dessert dish. Lucius and Pepper carried the conversation with Bruce and Blake commenting on occasion. Alfred suggested coffee in the study and as everyone retreated, Selina excused herself and disappeared down the hall.

Bruce trailed her into one of the powder rooms. He stood in the doorway watching her as she rinsed out her mouth with water and then splashing some on her face and neck. Their eyes met in the mirror and Selina gave him a weak smile. Bruce crossed the room and pulled a towel from the shelf. She hesitantly accepted his offer. She patted her skin dry and tossed the towel into the hamper before smoothing down her dress. She laid a shaky hand on her stomach as she watched Bruce standing behind her, “I met Tony in France. It was the day after you left for Gotham. He called Alfred’s looking for you. Said he was in Paris and wanted to meet.”

Bruce’s chin lifted and he fixed Selina with a look that he hoped was more understanding than judgmental, “Why did you agree to meet him, Selina?”

“It wasn’t like I sought him out Bruce. I only know him, because, well...everyone knows him. He wanted to see you.” Taking a breath Selina turned back to the sink and shuffled through the contents of the cabinet until she found mouthwash.

“But you met with him instead.” Bruce tried to keep the jealously out of his voice and only succeeded in making himself sound angry.

Selina watched him as she swished the spearmint mouthwash around and spat into the copper washbasin. “Well, you were gone and I’d never been to Paris, so I thought...what the hell.”

Bruce saw the deception in her eyes.

Selina continued on, “I thought Stark was a friend of yours. There was no reason for me to think you two weren’t. I mean Pepper did call you while you were in the hospital, we watched his proposal together. I…I didn’t know you weren't...” Her words broke off as she gave up trying to defend meeting the man that was very apparently Bruce’s nemesis.

Leaning stoically against the counter, Bruce picked his words cautiously, “So you went because you thought Stark was a friend and because you wanted to see Paris.” He paraphrased her excuses watching her body still under his scrutiny. “Why not tell me about it Selina? Did you think I would be upset?” His eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the various reasons she might be inspired to hide their meeting. “I would very much like to know the _real_ reason you went to Paris to meet Tony Stark.”

She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around her middle as she answered, “He asked me not to say.” Bruce’s reaction to that was as she expected. He became very still, silently waiting for her to fill the void with an explanation. Enough cops had questioned Selina that she knew this interrogation technique. Most people would start spilling their guts, vomiting words just to fill the awkward silence. Well Selina Kyle was not most people, she shut her mouth and she kept it shut.

After several long moments Bruce asked her a direct question, “How does Tony Stark’s request for secrecy garner a higher priority with you than our commitment to honesty?”

Selina stiffened, “Considering you LoJacked the pearls you gave me and were tracking my every move across Europe, you are hardly in a position to lecture on honesty in relationships.”

Bruce pushed off the sink and gave her a regretful shake of his head, “Looks like I will have to ask Stark the specifics on your little rendezvous myself.” Selina shrugged off his threat as if she was not concerned in the least. Bruce walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Selina stalked to the door and flicked the lock to the hall before pulling her cell phone out of the hidden pocket of her dress. She dialed Stark’s personal number. He answered on the second ring.

“Hello kitty! No need to thank me for the jewelry. You earned those stones today.”

Tony Stark’s cheerful voice set her off. If Selina had been upset before she was positively irate now, “Stark, you son of a bitch.” She hissed into the phone, “You have some explaining to do.”

“Hold the phone, Catnip. Did you not like the earrings? I thought they were spot on.”

Selina broke in before the eccentric billionaire could begin one of his word rants, “I’m talking about Bruce. You failed to mention that he can’t stand the sight of you. That you two  _hate_  one another or did that little nugget slip your drug addled mind, Tony?” She paced through the bathroom and into the adjoining bedroom as she talked. “All of that history with you and Bruce was just bullshit you fed me, wasn’t it? You knew he would never agree to help you. That’s why you came at me like you did.” She shook her head and pinched her nose with her fingers mumbling to herself, “And everyone calls me a conartist.”

He started to talk again and Selina interrupted, “What was your real angle on this, Stark? What were you trying to do here? Manipulate Bruce using me? Were you counting on the added benefit of sabotaging our wedding? Was that your game? Was that what you wanted all along? To hurt him?”

Tony was silent for a moment, “I knew when he found out it would get under his skin sure, but I never thought—”

“Yes it is very obvious that you _did not think_. If you had bothered to think you would know it’s not just my ass in the sling here, Tony. You are hip deep in shit right along with me. Pepper is going to want answers. When they find out what we did, this whole thing is going to blow up.”

A hand covered hers and as Selina turned she was confronted with the anger-flushed face of Pepper Potts. “If you don’t mind, I would like a word with Tony.”

Selina relinquished her phone and stepped warily away from Pepper. Her eyes were drawn to the doorway of the bedroom where Bruce stood with his arm propped against the jam. “Why don’t we give them some privacy, Selina?”

For sheer lack of options, Selina was forced to accompany Bruce out of the room. His hand at her back guiding her into the formal den was more restraining then any chains she had ever worn. She had a sudden flash of being walked to the gallows. She was majorly relieved to see Fox and Blake were present. _At least Bruce couldn’t kill me, not ‘til Fox left anyways. Blake would likely offer to dig the hole for my body..._

Alfred appeared with coffee, tea, and Selina’s stomach rolled at the smell of the Colombian brew. She sequestered herself to a chair adjacent to the open patio door overlooking the grounds. The vantage point offered fresh air and an escape route, two things that brought her comfort at the moment.

Watching Selina closely as she settled into the chair, Bruce accepted a coffee _._  He eyed her strapless gown and heels as he sipped the warm beverage reminding himself not to be overly confident in his ability to contain her even with the added insurance of the tracking implant and her formal dress.  _Experience has shown that once Selina got a head start she is hell to catch no matter what her outfit._

Pepper walked into the room annoyance plain on her face. She stalked up to Selina, the darkened cell phone clutched in her hand. Selina slowly stood and when their eyes met a little more color seemed to drain from the cat burglar’s face. Pepper stared hard at Selina, but her comment was directed to Bruce. “Nothing. He wouldn’t tell me anything.”

The reaction Selina Kyle had to that revelation was one of relief followed by obvious panic. She looked at Pepper and offered an apology, “I’m sorry about this. I really am.”

“What exactly are you sorry for, Selina? What were you and Tony doing together in Paris?”

Balking at the insinuation Selina’s eyes widened and she edged away, her hands raised in surrender, “Not what you are thinking. Nothing like what you are thinking.”

Pepper advanced a step and both Bruce and Blake stepped forward to intervene, but it was Lucius Fox’s voice that de-escalated the confrontation. “I fail to believe that there is a battle to be fought between you two ladies. I suggest we look at this objectively and suspend the emotional element.” Selina looked to be in complete agreement with Fox’s level-headed plan and Pepper seemed to regain some of her composure at his calm behest. “Now Ms. Potts, you are obviously frustrated with Anthony. Would you care share with us what transpired during your conversation?”

“That’s it. He wouldn’t tell me anything, Lucius. Not why he was in Paris or why he met with Selina. He said it was all a misunderstanding and that I should let it go.” Selina listened intently her guard still up, her eyes riveted on Pepper. Potts directed her attention back to Selina. “I want you to tell me what happened in Paris.”

Called out Selina was forced to respond and when she did Bruce was none to surprised by her quiet answer, “I gave my word to Stark that I wouldn’t say anything.” She looked up at Pepper and over at Bruce, “To anyone.” Her eyes returned to Pepper, “I can tell you that nothing happened between Tony and I that would compromise your relationship. I swear it.”

Pepper’s brow furrowed but she seemed to accept Selina at her word. The same however, could not be said for Bruce. “What about our relationship, Selina? Did something happen between you and Stark that would compromise  _our_  relationship?”

Selina met Bruce’s gaze and shut her eyes for a long moment, “I’m starting to think it might have.”

“Since I have no stake in this I might be the best person to clear this up. Blake cleared his throat and all eyes fell on him, "Tony Stark funded the remodel of the Wayne Manor. He did it through anonymous donations made by various charitable organizations with past affiliations with Howard Stark. He gave additional monies for the refurbishing directly to Selina during their meeting in Paris.”

Blake’s eyes met Selina’s for a short moment and he gave her a look of encouragement, “Bruce, I believe Selina was as unaware of your personal issues with Stark as I was until this evening. Stark undoubtedly created a very different illusion of your relationship. What reasons he had for financing the remodel are his own, I don’t pretend to know, but judging from what we are seeing here tonight he likely intended it to cause a divide between the two of you, possibly the three of you.” He looked at Pepper who hung her head in her hands. “It seems he may have succeeded even if in the end he decided not to go through with revealing that he was the source.”

Bruce looked over at Selina and cursed. The chair was empty. She was gone.

Fox sighed as he looked out the open patio doors before directing his attention back to Pepper. “I don’t pretend to know what goes through Mr. Stark’s head, but I know the heart of the man is good. I am not convinced he intended this maliciously.” Lucius smiled at Bruce, “Well not _entirely_ anyways. It would be his style to needle at you, Mr. Wayne. Fostering a secret relationship with Selina would be apt to infuriate you even more so than him having financed the restoration on the Manor.” Fox looked almost amused as he accepted another glass of wine from the serious faced butler. “It’s not the  _whys_  that intrigue me here, Mr. Wayne. We know Stark’s behavior is unpredictable at best. It is  _what_ he did that stands out to me. The donations from the organizations Mr. Blake referenced were the cornerstone on the projects both here and at Tom and Martha’s. The fact is…Tony Stark was an integral part of returning Wayne manor to you. That act does not speak of a man harboring ill will for either you or Selina.”

Fox tapped his glass with his index finger as his mind worked, “Then there is Ms. Kyle.” Fox sighed, his soft brown eyes were compassionate as he looked down at Pepper, “Selina Kyle is a desirable woman, Pepper, there is no denying that, but she is not a threat to you or your relationship with Anthony.” Fox let his message stand on its own for a moment. The conviction in his voice resonated with Potts he could see it in her face.

“Now Ms. Kyle obviously did make an impression on Mr. Stark after their time together in Paris, because it was her number Anthony called when he realized you were in danger. He did not contact the police or even your friends with SHIELD. He chose instead to enlist the help of Selina Kyle.” Fox laid a fatherly hand on her shoulder, “Pepper, you are the most important person in the world to Tony. I, for one, am thankful that it was Ms. Kyle he chose to entrust with your safe keeping.”

Bruce’s voice was a low growl when he spoke, “More is going on here than either of them are saying. People died today and you were one of the intended targets. I don’t know what Selina’s connection is to this or Tony, but I am going to find out.” He gently grasped her hand that was still clutching Selina’s satellite phone and squeezed it lightly, “Sort this out with him, Shooter. Use this phone only. It’s a safe line, unhackable and untraceable.” Bruce glanced over at Alfred, “Please see to our guest tonight won’t you, Alfred?” Without waiting for a response Wayne strode to the door as he said, “Blake, you’re with me.”

X

Selina walked silently down the pier, staying deep in the shadows to avoid drawing the attention of the random men that loitered along the abandoned storefronts.

She had slipped into her riding leathers in the garage and taken her bike. Having forsaken her helmet to avoid the inevitable calls from Bruce, her hair was blown out and her cheeks rosy from windburn. Riding calmed her and the Marina focused her so it was no surprise to find herself here parking the bike and walking along the waterway. She finally sat down at the edge of the dock and lost herself in thought.

One leg was extended kicking slowly above the water line as her arms were wrapped around her bent knee hugging her thigh tight to her chest. She was protected by the silence and shadows enough that when she heard footsteps approaching she did not feel compelled to react. She heard a man demand money, “Turn ‘em out pal. Show us what you got.”

Normally Selina would rise to the occasion and deal with the situation, but not tonight, she was tapped out. The sounds of a scuffle caused her to draw tighter into herself as she waited for the inevitable ending. It came swiftly. A loud thud and then running steps up the dock. She sighed to herself. _Someone had to learn the hard way not to come to the Marina after dark. People should know the rules by now_ _, the night belongs to the criminals_. A smirk drifted over her face as she felt a presence behind her.  _The night didn’t always belong to us...sometimes...sometimes the night belonged...to him._  “If you had given me a chance I would have come back on my own. “

The low rumble of Bruce’s voice surrounded her, “We agreed no more running.”

Her smirk faded as she continued to look out over the water, “I wasn’t running. I was riding. Walking. Clearing my head. We don’t have any agreements against that.”

Bruce shook his head in frustration as he knelt next to her. “No, but we had one against lying.” The agitation was obvious in his voice, “Talk to me Selina.”

She shrugged, “You heard it all from  _detective_  Blake. Nothing more I can add. You have the truth.” Her throat felt tight, but she managed to rasp out the rest, “What you do with the information now, well...that’s up to you.”

Bruce cut his eyes away from her and looked out over the still water of the marina. Several minutes passed in silence before he spoke again, “Why do you come back here, Selina? After everything you went through, why come back here?”

She shrugged again, her finger picking at the splintered wood of the dock, “When things are bothering me I come here. Helps me put things in perspective. Reminds me that I’ve been through worse.” The answer obviously unsettled Bruce. He shifted on the balls of his feet and his knee brushed her shoulder. She glanced down at the touch knowing that nothing about it was unintentional. Judging from her reluctant acceptance of his presence Bruce tempted fate further and sat down beside her on the weather warn dock. He leaned back against the same round timber that supported her. Shoulders touching they both stared into the dark. Selina’s voice broke the silence, “They are doing work on the South pier. Looks like they might be trying to clear the debris from the waterway.”

Following her eyes Bruce could make out the outlines of a crane and earth moving equipment. He pursed his lips, “Seems strange crews would be doing that instead of working to clear the city of all the damage from the explosions. “

Selina nodded her head in agreement. “Maybe they are just staging the equipment here while they work on demoing the buildings over on Euclid.”

He gave a noncommittal grunt. They remained silent several minutes more before Bruce spoke, “Selina…I know you gave your word to Stark, but—”

“He knows you are Batman.”

Bruce’s head snapped to the side, his surprise and discomfort at her declaration was obvious. Selina continued grimly, “That’s why I went to Paris to meet him. He said he had evidence that would reveal your identity.” Her words were barely a whisper, “Stark was the one that saved you from the blast, Bruce. He showed me the video feed from the Ironman suit.”

Bruce sat in stunned silence as the information sunk in.

_The dream I had of flying over the bay...it wasn’t a dream. It was a memory…_

Bruce took a deep breath as he replayed the events in his head.  _I hadn’t ejected over the buildings. I flew the Bat out to sea. Took it as far as I could…then ejected... Not to save my life...I knew there was no way to escape the blast. I just wanted to feel the air...the sun on my face one last time...before—_ His mind scrambled to fill in the dark gap in his memory. A memory he now knew that he could trust again.  _I pulled the lever...the canopy blew off and the seat rocketed me out. Then the blast hit me and there was…nothing.. Darkness_

Bruce realized he must have been speaking aloud when Selina echoed his words, “The blast didn’t hit you Bruce. Ironman did.”

“It’s not possible.” He shook his head and started to argue that Tony had destroyed the suits before his mouth clamped down on the protest.  _I know better than that. Tony wouldn’t give up being the Ironman any more than I would the Batman._

Selina continued on mechanically, trying her best to depersonalize the events, “The impact against the suit when he caught you probably knocked you cold. If not that...the G-force from the acceleration as he flew you out of there would have blacked you out.”

Bruce’s eyes slid shut as he worked to control his anger, “Why save me, just to leave me bleeding out on that rooftop... ?”

Selina was finally looking at him, her eyes glittered in the shadows, “I asked him the same thing myself. He said the EMP pulse from the blast fried the suit. That he barely had time to fire the afterburners and activate your cape before the computer failed completely and it auto destructed. He said to apologize to you for the hard landing.”

“He was piloting it remotely.” Bruce’s voice was a whisper as he worked out what had happened.  _Tony had alluded to it before…something Pepper said right before our press conference. ‘Sorry about the landing’ ...Fucking Stark..._

Selina shifted uneasily, “He was monitoring you by satellite on the roof, he tracked you when you jumped off the building after me. He had a clear facial scan when he caught you ejecting out and satellite images of us escaping the Metallurgy the next morning. Facial recognition software matched your lower face to the scan. Over twenty recognition points confirmed Bruce Wayne as the Batman.” Selina looked away into the night, the muscles of her throat twitching beneath her smooth skin, “He gave me the scan and the video when we met in Paris. No way to know if they were the only copies.” Selina took a breath, “I must admit...seeing you coming after me on the ice...well…it was quite courageous.”

Bruce took in Selina’s face and all the vulnerability that she tried to hide, before reaching out his hand and lacing his fingers through hers, “It wasn’t only you I was desperate to save Selina. It was this...the possibility of what we could have together.” His arms were suddenly filled with her. Bruce reflexively shifted to accommodate her body as she crawled onto his lap. Selina’s arms slipped inside his jacket and around his waist as she curled against his chest. Bruce’s eyes were dark and calculating as he stared out over the water holding her. “So Stark knows who we are. I don’t have to tell you how unfortunate that is. It took him being back in the states all of fifteen minutes before outing himself on national television as the Ironman.”

Bruce’s voice was controlled, which to Selina revealed the true magnitude of his discontent. “Stark said he would keep what he knew quiet if we agreed to help him. He kept saying he was up against some major shit and didn’t have anyone else he could trust. He was adamant that he was only using the information on your identity as leverage so you would agree. The money for the Manor wasn’t a bribe, it felt like an apology of sorts.”

Selina lifted off Bruce’s chest and pinned him with her earnest eyes, “I didn’t know how much of what he was saying might have been just in his mind. He sounded paranoid…desperate. He was popping meds right and left...he looked…sick...sacred. I gave him my contact information and told him to go through me. I was hoping things would be settled in Gotham before he called in his marker.” She looked down at Bruce’s chest for a moment before her eyes lifted back to meet his, “I wanted to keep you clear of it, Bruce. I knew how worried you already were...how focused you were with the Joker.” Selina squeezed his arms as she said the name.

His muscles flexed involuntarily under her hands as his hands squeezed her hips. Bruce’s jaw unclenched and he spoke with deliberate care, “I don’t like that Stark put you in the middle of something like this, Selina.”

Selina nodded, “I know. Bruce, but it was my choice to go after Pepper.” Selina offered her explanation as she captured him with her caramel eyes, “Tony saved my fiancé once. I figured I owed him one.”


	16. Chapter 16

Bruce sat in front of the computer in the Batcave, his leather motorcycle jacket hanging off the back of the chair, dark denim clad legs folded under him as his quick fingers played over the keys. The screens around him filled with images; security feeds of the Gotham Shield office, police headquarters, satellite images of Stark’s Malibu residence and the live CNN news broadcast. He entered an access code and the firewall of the FBI was breached. His eyes focused intently on the classified information filtering through the computer.

Bringing Wayne Enterprises into weapons manufacturing had been one of the most difficult personal decisions of his life. He knew it was against everything his father believed in and him as well. Weapons were war, war was death, and death was the one hard limit the Batman honored. Nonetheless, Wayne had committed WE to the takeover of Hammer Industries and one of the prevailing reasons guiding his decision had been access.

Weapons contracting had given him an in, an in to restricted governmental installations and their security systems. Enough of an in, that with his own unique abilities and disregard for the status quo he was able to infiltrate the world’s most secure information center. Now his screen filled with the fruits of his labor and the image of Captain Steven Rogers appeared. Below the soldier’s picture a ticker ran with the words ‘Wanted Fugitive’ repeating on an endless loop.

Bruce sat back in his chair. Selina’s arm dropped onto his shoulder as she studied the screen, “Well, that’s unexpected.”

His jaw flexed as he scrolled through the details of the APB. Only an hour earlier he and Selina had been returning from the Marina, slaloming their bikes up the winding road toward the Manor when the audio alert sounded in his helmet and the APB bullet flashed on the face shield of his helmet. It was an auto forward from the cave computer, the content of which had Wayne amping the speed of the race bike enough to truly test the capabilities of Selina’s cruiser.

It took only a few short minutes studying the data, specifically the pending fugitive release from the Feds for Wayne to reach a conclusion. “SHIELD is attempting to neutralize the Avengers. I say attempting ... because they have done a piss poor job thus far completing their objective. They did, however, manage to kill the man responsible for  _assembling_  the Avengers. According to classified reports, Nicholas Fury was assassinated earlier this week.”

Bruce continued to dig into the files, “CIA reports confirm that there was an attempt on Tony Stark and that he and his house guest, Dr. Bruce Banner, have either been eliminated or driven into hiding. We of course know from Tony’s incessant communication that it is the latter.” Selina’s breathy chuckle drew a smirk from Bruce’s tense face. “Other reports confirm that one of SHIELD’S most loyal and deadly assets, Clint Barton, was brought into governmental custody three weeks ago.”

Wayne’s face was serious as he continued to reveal information. “Luckily for American insurance providers the Norseman has been a no show thus far. In lieu of capturing the Thunder God, SHIELD elected to snap up his doctor girlfriend and her entourage.” His hazel green eyes flicked from screen to screen as he worked the on the enormous electronic console. “Add to all of these moves, the attempt on Pepper’s life and a distinct pattern emerges. When the Avengers themselves prove too difficult to contain, SHIELD has elected to target their significant others.”

Shrugging nonchalantly Selina accepted the information without surprise, “Effective strategy if you know the right people to leverage.” The dark look she received spoke volumes as to what Bruce thought of that particular strategy. _If the Avengers are anything like Bruce, this particular direction was one SHIELD might well regret taking_. Selina squeezed his shoulder and he leaned back further into her as she read the full name of this new nemesis off one of the many screens, “Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division.”

When Bruce spoke, his voice contained a grim amusement, “Just a fancy name for another collection of spooks in suits. They tried to bring the Batman into the fold years back.” Wayne’s hands continued to work over the keys as he reminisced. He felt Selina’s nimble fingers slip up his neck and card through his hair.

“You are not much of a joiner. Guess they figured that out rather quickly.”

“Not quickly enough.” Bruce mumbled as she massaged the pain source at the base of his skull. He brought up another screen. “While SHIELD was skulking around Gotham, looking for Batman I was doing my own investigation on their origination. There was not anything overtly concerning at the time, but it operated deep enough in the weeds to make it inherently dangerous by its very nature. They were well poised to do the dirty deeds for Uncle Sam and that’s exactly what they have for years. Now it is imploding on itself and someone is going to be left holding the bag. “

A bottle of pills had appeared by his elbow and Bruce nearly smirked as he paused a moment to pop the cap and crush two of the chalky tablets between his teeth.  _She always knew._ Her hand continued to knead away at his neck when she asked, “What makes you think SHIELD is imploding?”

Bruce brought up the photo of Steve Rogers. “This APB is SHIELD generated. It is being sourced now to the FBI and CIA. Next will be to local law enforcement and then the media. The Captain has SHIELD scrambling. They would not have made his arrest a public spectacle like this without being forced to do so. To register this prominently on SHIELD’s radar he must have posed a serious and immediate risk to their program. A man like Rogers does not just go rogue. He likely discovered SHIELD involved in something nefarious and took it upon himself to put one of his shiny red boots in their ass.”

Selina snickered, “Nefarious...”

Bruce gave a low snort of amusement and then shook his head, “Captain America, a fugitive from justice. SHIELD must be delusional or truly desperate if they think people are going to buy that one.” He brought up another screen and Selina focused on the photos of Stark and another smaller man. Bruce lifted his chin at the image; “They would have had better luck selling that story on Stark or Banner. Both are public nuances.” Under his breath he offered a mild disclaimer, “Whether they intend to be or not.” He tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the keyboard, “Rogers, Pepper, the Doctors Foster and Selvig...there is no way SHIELD believes they  are all involved in hostile dealings against the government.”

Assuming the young woman and older man were the doctors he identified Selina studied their faces on the monitor while she listened to Bruce talk things through. He massaged his jaw with his hand as his eyes searched the images jumping from monitor to monitor. They narrowed as he concentrated on the information, “There is more to this than SHIELD shutting down the Avengers initiative.” He pointed a finger at the night image of Stark’s home. “They are being hunted...exterminated...neutralized.”

Selina narrowed her eyes, “Sentries?”

Nodding grimly, Bruce worked the filtration on the camera, sharpening the images, “Likely SHIELD agents. They made entry at Stark’s house in Malibu roughly the same time as the hit on the conference. One can only assume they were not sent to offer protective services to Ironman and the Hulk.”

Selina’s fingers hesitated then resumed their comforting massage. “So why take down the Avengers now? Why didn’t SHIELD just scoop them up right after New York?”

“Maybe they weren’t a threat then, but they obviously are now. I am missing something.” Bruce slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her down to sit on his knee as he twisted in the chair, “Don’t stop kitten. It helps with the pain.”

Selina adjusted herself so that he had room to access and awaken the dormant computers she had been blocking. She continued her ministrations to his neck as she watched the screens fill with data.  _Damn if Bruce is really reading and processing this information as quickly as it is flashing up, he really is a machine_. The onslaught of data was nearly giving her a headache of her own as she watched him toggle quickly between the screens.

“SHIELD is making a point to take out the heavy hitters...knocking strategic powerful players off the board simultaneously. Maybe trying to shift the odds in their favor before the real game begins.” He slipped his hand from the keyboard to Selina’s thigh where he began to drum a soft rhythm against her leather-clad leg. “It makes me wonder when they are going to drop the black ops routine and make a real move. Reveal the true endgame.” His fingers stilled as he paused an image and flipped it on to the main monitor. “What have we here?”

Selina squinted at the screen as Bruce maximized the resolution and isolated the lower edge of the display. He started the feed again and a faint distortion in the display appeared for a moment and then was gone. It was almost impossible to detect, but when it was pointed out Selina recognized the pattern, “Looks like data encryption.”

“Yes, it does.” Bruce confirmed as his torso twisted and he reached for another button on the console, Selina’s body flexed and moved along with him seamlessly. A faint smile tilted his lips as his nose brushed her cheek; “I have seen a similar distortion in several other SHIELD transmissions. Look there.” He brought up another screen and at the bottom, Selina saw a faint disturbance in the pixeling of the image. “Somebody is passing notes in class, Selina. Let’s see what they have to say.” A smug look of satisfaction played over Wayne’s face as he started the decryption program, he sat back in the chair as the first letter appeared on the screen:  **H.**

Selina shook her head, “How the hell did you pickup on that?” Bruce’s lips twitched in response to her question. Selina’s red lips pulled back into a smile.  _He really is that good._

Bruce shut his eyes as he relaxed into Selina’s touch. His mind was filtering through the old information he had on SHIELD. None of it was adding up. The organization had been more than happy to utilize the Avengers team to combat threats to world security not but a few years ago. Now a massive purge seemed in effect. The organization was neutralizing threats and securing hostages. 

Taking Jane Foster into custody, remanding her to an unknown location would paralyze her betrothed should he arrive in defense of his comrades. If Thor showed, her abduction would serve as a distraction to occupy him while the remaining Avengers remained scattered or incarcerated. The attack on Pepper had been a similar strategy. Should it have been successful Pepper’s death would have debilitated Stark. Even in failure, it had succeeded in pulling Tony’s attention away from the Captain’s situation in Washington. With Steve Rogers villainized in the media and a power vacuum created from Fury’s assassination the remaining Avengers, should they manage to escape capture, had no person, no flag to unite under. The result was complete disarray...

Bruce’s eyes snapped open and he stared into Selina’s expectant face. She cocked her head obviously sensing that he just had an epiphany. “What better way to remove the threat of the Avengers then to offer irresistible distractions. What better way to control men that are by their very nature uncontrollable then to put into jeopardy the ones they love?”

Selina watched him with growing interest as the pieces clicked into place for Bruce and he asked another question, “What better way to control the Batman then to do the very same? Present an impossible to resist scenario...a decoy.” A cruel smile curled his lips and Selina raised a brow at the insinuation that anyone Bruce loved had been affected. Bruce squeezed her hip as his eyes studied her face, “There is a reason I wear a mask, Selina. To protect the people close to me. SHIELD had nothing to leverage against the Batman. No way to distract me with personal attacks.”

Selina’s eyes searched his face and she slowly shook her head, “But that’s not really true is it?” She watched the pulse tick in his jaw, “They had an entire city to threaten you with. They had Gotham.”

With a silent nod Bruce confirmed her assessment, “The only leverage they had on Batman  _would_   _be_  Gotham.” Bruce stared at the woman in his arms as she processed through what he had just suggested. He loved Selina Kyle. There were a million reasons why he did, but watching her pick apart, a puzzle was one of his favorite things. He could see her mind working to dissect his theory.

Her eyes blinked and she gave a small shake of her head, the disbelief obvious on her face,  _“SHIELD freed the Joker to distract you?_ ” Her eyes squinted and she shook her head again as she disregarded her own hypothesis, “Or...they wanted you to  _believe_  he was loose...” Her nails scraped against the base of his neck as her mind spun through the possibilities, “No matter how deep we dug we never found any real leads, no sightings of him…holy shit. That’s good.”

The computer beeped and Bruce swiveled the chair so he could see the deciphered message on the screen.  ** _Hail Hydra_** _._ He gave Selina’s hip a light pat,“Hand me the phone kitten. I need to make a call.”

X

Pepper and Alfred watched the television screen as the helicarriers crashed to the ground. It was a spectacle not unlike that of New York, and SHIELD and Captain America were at the heart of it all, again. She chanced a glance at the English butler beside her; he was stoic as he watched the screen. Pepper slipped an arm around his waist when she felt his circle her shoulders in support. “I imagine Mr. Stark will not be long before joining Captain Rogers in the fray.”

Pepper shook her head, “He’s in no condition…he has been so ill Alfred.” She paused, her hand drawing up to her mouth as she thought of everything Bruce had revealed to them only hours earlier. “What if it was SHIELD?” She looked up at Alfred the dawning realization that she might be on to the real cause of Tony’s illness.

“SHIELD led him to the discovery of the new implant. I thought then that they were saving him. The palladium was poisoning his blood.” She chewed the ragged nail of her thumb as she talked through what happened. “Everyone there was so against removing the reactor...even after Tony explained to them the procedure that could safely remove the remaining shrapnel. That was when Tony started pulling away. He never said it, but I think he stopped trusting them.” She laughed under her breath, shaking her head. “I don’t know that he ever entirely trusted them in the first place.” Her face darkened, “He started getting sick right after...” She turned to face Alfred, “Could SHIELD have been poisoning him? Intentionally?”

Alarms began sounding across the intercom in the Manor. Pepper looked around wildly only vaguely registering that she was being ushered swiftly down the hall by the surprisingly spry butler. “Begging your pardon, Ms. Potts, but I believe we should continue this discussion after securing more adequate shelter. “ Pepper was relieved she had chosen a pants suit from Selina’s wardrobe that morning as she struggled to pace Alfred Pennyworth as he sprinted down the expansive hallway.

X

Selina was held in place by a firm hand, “He’s already coming.” Bruce released her wrist and pointed to the monitor that showed a blip moving along the corridor above them. His attention reverted back to the incoming aircraft, four F-16 fighter jets, two of them unauthorized launches from a SHIELD base.

Bruce had been tracking them since Blake called the launch eleven minutes ago. Their flight path was bringing them dangerously close to the Manor. Without knowing exactly what Stark had revealed he could only assume that SHIELD and now HYDRA knew Batman’s identity. He activated the speakers and the live audio conversation between aircrafts piped into the cave.

Selina cast a worried glance over her shoulder relaxing marginally as the elevator activated and began the drop to the rocky cave floor. Alfred slid back the cage door and assisted Pepper down to the uneven rock floor. She worked to find her balance on high heels and shaky legs as she looked around the cavernous space in wonder.

It was obvious that Pepper was unfamiliar with her surroundings as she clutched tightly to Alfred’s arms. Selina felt a small satisfaction in that the other woman, even as close as she had been to Wayne, had not been afforded the knowledge of Bruce’s alter identity. A female voice sounded over the speakers drawing her attention away from Pepper’s budding realizations. “This is Captain Ripley of the United States Air Force hailing air craft Six Bravo Four. You have violated a restricted airspace. Pilot, identify yourself and adjust your flight plan immediately or you will be engaged.”

The weapons systems around the Manor activated. Wayne Enterprise weapons tech lifted from their dormant lairs below the manicured landscape of the grounds. The rocket launchers twisted into firing position as radar locks established themselves on the incoming aircrafts.

Readout on the cave’s console showed the crafts locking weapons on the pursuing Air force jets. Bruce briefly considered a broad spectrum EMP, but its effect would disable the pursuing jets as well and a gliding plane would still present a danger. On the console in front of him appeared a mock up of an F-16 Falcon navigational and operational systems. Bruce flipped a switch and the missile guidance systems of the lead aircraft went off line. Selina watched in awe as Bruce blew the canopies and activated the ejection seats. Ten seconds after the pilots were airborne missiles fired from the pursuing jets and the unmanned aircraft were taken out completely.

Wayne Manor security cameras showed debris raining down in the woods bordering the property. Bruce stood from the terminal, “Alfred, would you be so kind as to alert Fire Station five that we have acreage burning on the hill.”

Alfred’s annoyed voice echoed back, “That is you giving the all clear then is it, Master Wayne?”

Bruce smirked at Selina, “It is Alfred. Lucky for us the Air Force was quick to respond to our aid and remove the threat.”

Alfred’s voice returned nonplussed, “Lucky indeed, Sir. Although, it would have been entertaining to hear you explain to authorities the various artillery caches scattered about the premises.

“Maybe next time, Alfred.” Bruce watched the pilots’ chutes drifting out of the sky. “You might better monitor the fire line, Alfred. The winds don’t seem to be in our favor.”

Alfred sighed out in irritation, “I shall activate the irrigation system on the lawns. I would prefer the grounds not be charred a mere day before your nuptials.”

“Explosions and fiery crashes sound about right for us.” Bruce winked at Selina and accepted her knowing smile of agreement before acknowledging his silent guest, “You alright, Shooter?”

Pepper nodded her head. “I guess I understand your affinity for subterranean escape routes now. Bruce, I must admit, you have taken fallout shelters to a new level.”

Bruce smiled, “One can never be too careful. I will admit air attacks was something that was only a remote concern of mine until seeing footage of the chopper attack in Malibu. I think the upgrades I made after served us rather nicely today.”

The rumble of distant explosions unsettled the wildlife above them and several bats took flight winging their way around the cave, their wings flapping like loose leather in the still damp air. Alfred crouched down along with Pepper and Selina cringed closer against Bruce who remained unaffected as he surveyed the alarmed reaction of the winged mammals. 

Wayne pressed a button on the console and the bat suit lifted from under the rock ledge, “Now if you all will excuse me, I am going to have a word with our uninvited guests.”

Pepper watched in disbelief as Bruce Wayne walked out onto the water, a bridge lifting beneath his feet as he moved. As he opened the case holding the suit, her mind finally accepted the reality of what she was seeing. She forgot the swirling mass of creatures that glided and flapped above her as she stood and watched as Bruce removed his shirt, before activating the sled and dropping below the platform. 

_Bruce Wayne is the Batman._

xx

Police officials arrived at the Manor along with military police. They were setting up on the perimeter of the Manor intent on providing security for the one man in Gotham more than capable of providing for his own security. To his credit, Wayne played the part to perfection. He expressed his concern for his fiancée’s welfare and for that of his staff and gratefully accepting the offer of protection from the military. He prefaced his choice by explaining to Gordon that he could not in good conscience take police officers off the street while Gotham was still recovering.

The commissioner had simply nodded his understanding, waiting until the officers cleared out and the military personal dispersed to the perimeter of the grounds before addressing Bruce privately. He had his hand shoved deep into the light raincoat that covered him against the falling mist. “Sorry about,” He waved his hand absently indicating the spectacle around them. “Gotham’s Mayor pro tem was insistent on ensuring your protection.”

“Well I can’t very well host his inaugural party if I get killed, now can I?” Bruce shrugged in acceptance; Gordon could tell the younger man was ready to move onto what he considered of more pressing importance. There was only one thing that Bruce Wayne wanted to discuss with him and that was the deposition of evidence from the Brian Kyle murder.

The police commissioner did not have to be told where Bruce Wayne’s priorities lay. Gordon wiped his hand over his lips smoothing down the thick hair of his mustache before adjusting his glasses. “I brought it.”

Bruce gave nothing away visually but Gordon could have sworn that the shadows the man stood in darkened and the temperature around them dropped several degrees. He had to force back the unease that manifested, adjusting his glasses again as he walked around the car to the passenger seat. He glanced back at Bruce and nearly startled at the man’s close proximity. Wayne existed as a solid wall of muscle only inches from his side. Despite that they were on a chat driveway, Bruce had not made a sound as he moved.

Gordon suppressed a reaction and unlocked the passenger’s door to retrieve his briefcase. He slammed the door closed harder than he meant to and compensated by gently placing the leather case on the hood of the unmarked unit. Wayne’s cold dispassion was palatable as Gordon spun the tumblers on the luggage lock. He paused on the last number, “Let me destroy them Bruce.” Gordon’s voice cracked and he felt himself struggling to stay in control. “Someone you love… you don’t want to see her…not like this, Bruce.”

Wayne’s face was impassive as he stared at Gordon, “I have witnessed the suffering of loved ones before.”

Gordon’s throat constricted and he had to clear his throat before he could continue, “There isn’t a night I don’t think about when we found Meg. The blood in her hair. The bruises. If I had seen...” Gordon’s hands tightened on the edges of the case. “You don’t want poison like this in your mind, son.”

Wayne stared icily at the commissioner and Gordon gave a small disappointed shake of his head. He had been willing to locate the box Wayne requested, but he hadn’t been willing to just turn over evidence without understanding the ramifications of his decision. Not even to the Batman.

Gordon had taken a small pen light with him to supplement the low lighting in the evidence locker. He balanced the case files on top of one another and as he sat the boxes on the table the weathered cardboard gave out and the contents of the box were spilled onto the table. Photos scattered from an upturned shoebox onto the wood surface. He froze, the penlight clutched in his teeth as his mind grappled with the images that confronted him. His police background protected him from the shock of this newest exposure to the grotesqueness of the world. It was obvious what the photos were. Child porn.

He slammed the box down and pushed the cardboard sides back together before shoving the bound files back into the structrually compromised case. His movements stalled as his eyes settled on the face of the little girl. Big dark eyes looked up from under unevenly trimmed bangs. Eyes too familiar and haunted for Gordon not to immediately recognize the little girl as Selina Kyle.

It was obvious from the angle that she was naked though only her shoulders were visible. Bruised circles on her skin varying in shading spoke to ongoing abuse. The dark prints ringed her throat and dotted over her collarbones. Gordon sat heavily into the chair by the table. He felt the bile rise in his throat and for the first time in years he was overwhelmed by the cruelty of the world.

Bruce tugged the case away from the police commissioner and sprung the lock himself. He stared down into the case his face a blank cold mask that in Gordon’s opinion, was every bit as dark and dangerous as the cowl that often shielded him. Wayne reached into the case as Jim folded his arms over his chest his eyes dropping to the ground. “Son...I hope you and I have enough trust in one another that you can accept that nothing of those photos remains but the one you hold in your hand.”

Bruce stared down at the only content from the case. Unknown to him it was the same black and white Polaroid that Gordon had clutched in his hand as his stomach voided in the dusty corner of the evidence lock up. The old photo lay heavy in Wayne’s palm, the edges pressing sharply against his fingers tips. It was surreal to look into the eyes of this tortured child knowing that she had grown into the woman he loves. Looking at the photo was like glimpsing into the hell Selina had endured…a past that had shaped her…molded her into the woman she is now. A survivor. Wayne’s breath stalled in his lungs as he looked at Selina's face.

Gordon squeezed his shoulder hard and Bruce forced his eyes from the photo back to the empty box and then up to Gordon’s face. Gordon’s steel-blue eyes locked with his and Bruce saw the familiar compassion and strength that he had come to expect from the man. “I couldn’t protect you from what happened the night your parents were murdered...from seeing Rachel’s body pulled from the burnt rubble, but I damn sure was going to protect you from this.”

They stood there for a long while until finally Bruce nodded his head in silent acceptance. Jim dropped his hand away and looked off into the night. He waited several moments and when he looked back, he expected him to be gone, just like he always was. Instead, Wayne stood silent and still beside him staring down at the photo. Bruce finally took a breath, and tucked it away into the pocket of his jacket.

Jim let out a breath of his own. It had not been a difficult decision for him to destroy the photos, but he had realized that his decision to do so came with danger of destroying the fledgling friendship he and Wayne began to cultivate. _I guess all those nights watching each other’s backs in Gotham hadn’t been for nothing..._

X

Bruce strode back into the mansion assuring himself that the photo remained securely in his jacket pocket. Selina watched him closely as he entered the room. She stood uncertainly as Bruce satisfied himself that everyone was present save Blake who was still scouting SHIELD targets. Bruce ran a hand through his hair as he gave Alfred a guarded look. His elderly caregiver seemed to understand his anxiety. “Master Wayne shall I serve a nightcap?”

Giving him a supportive pat on the shoulder, Bruce offered a weary smile, “Have a seat, Alfred. It is not every day that we face an air assault on the Manor. You deserve a drink as much as any of us.”

Chuckling, Alfred was forced to nod his head in agreement. “Did you make contact with Mr. Stark? Ms. Potts is concerned for his welfare.”

Bruce gave Pepper a forced smile, “Tony is fine. Or as fine as Tony can be at any given moment.”

Pepper’s laugh was strained but the relief was evident, as she seemed to take her first unencumbered breath in hours. Her hand rested over her stomach as she began to drill Bruce with questions as to the specifics of her fiancé’s health and welfare. Bruce chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Selina and kissed her cheek. “Get that woman a drink would you?”

Selina smirked up at Bruce, “Tell her what she wants to know Wayne. God knows if it was Stark keeping information about you I would have his boys in a vice right now.”

Shaking his head Bruce pushed her toward the bar in the corner of the room, “If I don’t hear you reference Stark’s balls for the rest of my life I will die happy. Thank you very much.” He gave Selina a look of disapproval as she walked away smirking over her shoulder. He returned his attention to the anxious Pepper Potts. With another forced smile, he filled her in.

By the time, Selina pushed the wine glass into Pepper’s slack hand, Selina had wished that she had brought her a whiskey instead.

“Pepper, you are as familiar with SHIELD as anyone could be. You know their history so you obviously understand their enemies. HYDRA specifically.” She nodded her head as she focused on his words. “They infiltrated SHIELD at every level. Orchestrated the murder of Fury and the subsequent attacks on the Avengers. It was all a cover for their real power grab. Should those carriers have launched,” He sighed deeply, “Well let’s just say, if not for Captain America, there would be no America.”

He then got into the specifics, “Tony and Banner are safe. They evacuated the house in Malibu right before SHIELD or HYDRA or whoever the hell they are made their move.” Bruce accepted a bottle of water from Selina as he grudgingly complimented Stark. “Every once in a while it pays off for Stark to be nose first in everyone’s business. He had taps and traps set up all over SHIELD’s communications. Troop moves were easy for him to anticipate, that is how he knew of the attack at the conference. Now with the HYDRA code broken he is helping to smoke out HYDRA loyals for the military.”

“How will we ever be able to tell the good from the bad in SHIELD?” Pepper’s innocent question gave Selina pause.

Bruce continued heedless of the sentimentality Potts had for the fractured organization, “SHIELD is done. It will be disbanded. Agents that showed active connection to HYDRA will be detained, questioned, and likely prosecuted. The rest, well the rest will be cut loose and monitored. Tracked by the government and watched for signs of future subversive activities.”

Selina watched Pepper as she worked to accept the information Bruce so clinically presented to her. She wondered for a moment how many people Pepper had called friends in the SHIELD organization that had just been lost to her. A normal female reaction would have been to offer a supportive word, possibly a shoulder to cry on, but neither Pepper, nor herself fit the mold of normalcy. Instead of that emotional response, the more pragmatic Selina Kyle was checking her cell to see if Blake had found anything on his recon of the local SHIELD headquarters.

Thankfully, Pepper was not a woman that required handling. This was never more evident than when she dropped her hands to her hips and asked Bruce, “How long am I staying here? I need to get back to SI.”

Unsurprised by her request Wayne responded immediately as if having anticipated her question, “Another few days just to make sure we have neutralized any sleeper cells.” He offered an addendum to his statement, “There will be considerable measures put in place to ensure your safety Pepper. It will be annoying and invasive, but I’m going to ask for your patient endurance.”

Watching for her response, Selina was forced to smile when Pepper readily accepted her situation. “Maybe we could even find personnel that aren’t being paid to try and kill me this time?” Pepper’s amused eyes cut over to the silent woman beside them, “Or you can just send Selina with me instead.”

The smile was genuine when Bruce offered it this time, “I would have suggested that, but we both will be accompanying you to California.” His eyes lifted to Selina, “I have a few loose ends to tie up here in Gotham. One of which is putting another ring on this woman’s hand. The other is finding out the true disposition of the Joker.” His attention returned to Pepper, “After that I intend to take a honeymoon. The first leg of which will include you. We will see you safely back to California.” He raised his hand at her protest, “No arguments. I want to do it. Besides, it will give Selina an opportunity to have a look at your security system while Anthony and I have a little face time.”

A slow smile spread over Selina’s face, as she considered the offer that had been laid out for her, “SI, or their house in Malibu?”

Bruce smirked down at Pepper as they both heard the excitement in Selina’s voice, “Both.”

Pepper grinned back up at him, “Might as well have her take a look at the Energy facility on the way,” She glanced over at Selina, “Just to be safe.”

Selina chuckled, “Well Bruce, let’s finish this thing up, shall we?”


	17. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all the readers that have stuck around... your wait is over

Wrapped in a lovely pastel dress Pepper looked out over the garden at the place where in a few short hours Bruce Wayne would be marrying Selina Kyle, cherry trees draped over the koi ponds, their branches hung heavy with blooms. She walked among them the night before, supported on Alfred’s arm as he explained how the garden would be arranged for the nuptials. It seemed surreal to Pepper that the proper butler was able to calmly plan a wedding while simultaneously the bride and groom were storming through a HYDRA stronghold. It was a duality the elderly butler had obviously lived with for a long while but it was something that Pepper had never quite reconciled herself with as she watched Tony take flight in the suit.

Pepper watched the clouds gathering on the horizon and she wondered if Gotham in all of her unpredictability might yet play spoiler to the wedding of her most famous son. Since Pepper’s arrival in Gotham, she had experienced nothing but a series of storms. A whirlwind of emotions still twisted in her as she struggled to wrap her mind around the catastrophic collapse of SHIELD.

HYDRA’s contamination of SHIELD seemed complete as the organization that had once meant so much to her and all of the Avengers was publically shamed and vilified in the media. When Rogers confirmed that Hydra’s infiltration had indeed reached SHIELD’s highest echelons, SHIELD was formally ordered to disband. For once, Pepper found herself grateful that Coulson was gone, that he had been spared witnessing the ruination of his life’s work.

While the critical infrastructure of the SHIELD agency had been officially dissolved, its individual components remained. Judging from their current actions, the survivors of the collapse did not seem content to remain disbanded despite governmental decrees. SHIELD’s ultimate mission had been protecting the world from threats beyond the capabilities of standard national security agencies, so while the organization was no more, it’s mission remained as relevant as it always had been. Humanity must be protected. Hydra’s attacks, while falling short of the mass assassinations of perceived global threats, had been completely successful in terminating its long time opposition, SHIELD. Losing the protection of the governmental agency and along with it the deterrent of an Avenger lead response to global threats, created a power vacuum that left the entire world vulnerable.

  
No one realized this danger better than the Avengers themselves. Tony and Banner had thrown back into the fray immediately after escaping their Malibu residence. It was theirs, the three of them. Pepper had grown close to the quiet scientist in the months that he lived together with her and Tony. Banner was often the voice of reason when Tony’s paranoia threatened to get out of control. The two scientists had been almost inseparable since the events in New York and that trend seemed to be continuing itself. In the wake of the Helicarrier’s attack in DC, Stark and Banner had seen to the liberation of another brother in arms, Clint Barton. His location had been supplied thanks to the Batman and the intelligence his crew gleaned while storming the HYDRA stronghold in Gotham’s neighboring city Bloodhaven. Recovered information revealed where Barton was being held as well as the locations of both Doctors Foster and Selvig.

The Bloohaven base served as a launch point for the jets brought down near Wayne Manor. Despite Stark’s reassurances to the contrary, Bruce had been unwavering in his belief that the manor had been specifically targeted by HYDRA for attack. He was determined to ferret out why, if not due to his alternate identity, Wayne manor would be on the HYDRA radar. Without hesitation, he went straight to the source of the attack to extract the information. After securing a remote access Stark swept the computer personally reassuring both himself and Bruce that while Wayne Tower and the manor had both been targets, they were but two structures in Gotham that had been marked for destruction. References to the Batman were found neither in the SHIELD nor the HYDRA encrypted files. Similar destructive attacks had been launched around major cities worldwide with varying success. Most of them were little more than ill-conceived diversions set off to camouflage the escape of embedded HYDRA agents. Again, these maneuvers were met with varying degrees of success as loyal SHIELD agents did their best to bring the HYDRA terrorists to justice.

The irony was not lost on Pepper when Tony pointed out that there were no active HYDRA cells discovered in Gotham City. Apparently, even HYDRA had known better than to try establishing themselves within reach of the Batman.

This information and much more came to her in an early morning call from Tony. He told her of the success of Bruce and his entourage in Bloodhaven and of his own involving Barton’s liberation. After her initial objection to his involvement, she acquiesced under the assurances that everything was being conducted remotely and under Banner’s ‘doting eye.’ Much to the derision of his stoic companion, this was exactly how Tony described their situation. Pepper was not sure why Tony felt she should be put at ease by Banner’s involvement as he was a man renowned for his own monumental lab disasters, but she did find it reassuring they had each other. With the world falling down around their ears, Stark and Banner still had each other and now they had Barton. She closed her eyes and thought of the video footage of Natasha and Steve from Washington. Small pockets of the team were coming together despite all attempts to drive them apart…Avengers assemble….

During the upheaval, Pepper had been grateful for the safety and security offered by Wayne and his extended family. _Funny that I think of the elusive Bruce Wayne as having such a personal connection to his group… Even the newest addition, Blake, seemed more of a brother to the Gotham billionaire than simply a student._ Under Bruce’s care, she had been afforded similar treatment, brought into the fold more as family than friend. She had been clothed, fed, protected and supported in her every decision and action. Through their hospitality, Pepper was able to conduct business safely via remote satellite uplinks and remained connected enough to track the financial repercussions from the events in Washington. Thankfully, it had a minimal impact to either Stark or Wayne holdings.

The CEI, Clean Energy Initiative, was another matter. The media was clamoring to connect dots and link Hydra plots to any number of political and military programs including CEI. One such reach was that HYDRA was behind the Stark technology and that it was an attempt to devalue the price of oil and gain control of the world’s energy supply. The assassination of the Russian petroleum head had thrown the already unstable economy of Russia into complete disarray. The whistleblowers claimed that CEI had the capacity to topple the world’s entire economic system. From what Pepper understood, their speculations were not entirely wrong. The world economy was built on fossil fuels. Energy, not gold, was the real foundation of wealth and the Clean Energy Initiative threatened the future of entire nations. Access to unlimited clean power would change world dynamics. Eventually it would change how every person on the planet lived their lives. There was growing concern regarding this power shift. Concern that this power would fall to Tony Stark, a man with established ties to SHIELD which now automatically linked him to HYDRA. The history of Stark’s loyalty to the nation and the Avengers’ stand in New York seemed to have been forgotten along the way.

Pepper had considered the position of both Wayne Enterprises and Stark Industries before making the decision to go on as planned that morning with the live test phase in California. Without fanfare at 5am right as Bruce, Selina and Blake were dragging in from their successful attack on the Hydra base, San Bernardino California population of two hundred and nine million went off the Western Interconnection grid and onto WSCE clean energy. It had not been a hard sell for Pepper to get the city’s participation in the project. The city itself was facing bankruptcy and looked to default on thousands of pensions to retired teachers and civil servants. The proposed energy project was to be operated by WSCE, the Wayne Stark Clean Energy conglomerate, free of charge to the local municipality. The fees currently being charged to the government for providing power were now being channeled directly into the city coffers.

It was a temporary plug in a still seeping boat, but it was a substantial band-aid. The money provided the city an option other than defaulting against one of the largest and most powerful retirement systems in operation, CalPERS the California Public Employees Retirement System. The influx of capital would help buoy the city’s income ensuring retirees continued to receive compensation while the city attempted to right itself financially. A healthy stipend paid for land usage from WSCE was also a helper. It enabled San Bernardino to clear itself from a land development settlement that it had been doomed to default on while simultaneously putting the area to more environmentally responsible use.

Truth be told, the only difficulty Pepper had with the whole program was keeping Tony and the media out of it before the program officially launched. The entire process was run through WE financial, which kept Tony’s prying eyes at bay. Fox was confounding Stark’s ability to meddle by supplying subcontractors for the build that were previously unaffiliated with Wayne Enterprises. He even went so far as to obtain a seal on public records and permits. Trucks bearing the logo of a Swedish research facility gave the only hints as to the project being erected in the secluded California hills. Thanks to Tony and all his brilliance, the actual space needed to construct the ARC reactor was minimal which gave ample area for the relay system devised by Wayne Enterprises.

The distant rumble of thunder broke her away from her introspection and her brow furrowed as her blue eyes focused determinedly skyward again. “Hold off. Of all people, Bruce doesn’t deserve rain on his wedding day. “  
X  
X  
Selina had slipped into the dress for the final adjustments late that morning. The silk caressed her skin as the Asian inspired dress fell to the length of the floor. The silk was decadent against her skin. The shimmering shine of the white opal silk broken only by the colorful sash that drew around her waist and dropped to the floor behind her. Its color, a soft salmon pink, seemed to draw its shade directly from her cheeks. At least that had been Sigmund’s observation.

Pepper had met the young man the evening before as he arrived from the airport courtesy of a limousine. He had arrived jovial and surprisingly energetic for a man having just flown non-stop from Europe, his only complaint was a quip about the missing the helicopter ride.

  
Alfred apologized to his younger compatriot citing flight restrictions that had prevented expediting him in by helicopter. All non-commercial flights in Gotham had been grounded after the HDRA attacks, F-16s still patrolled the city in a deliberate show of force against any future attempts against her. Sigmund seemed undaunted by the events in Gotham, waving off assistance with his bags as he trotted up the stairs to the front door. He finally relinquished his handle on the luggage to offer a warm embrace and handshake to the proper butler. Alfred had also made apologies for the absence of Bruce and Selina citing business in the city that required their attention and then had the pleasure of introducing the gregarious English chap to Pepper Potts. It was amusing at how quickly Sigmund seemed to crack through Pepper’s melancholy mood. The three set about organizing the remaining details for the ceremony. Normally Alfred would have balked at the mere suggestion of allowing guests to assist with the preparations at a Wayne function, but in this case both Pepper and Sigmund seemed in need of a distraction.  
A few hours before the ceremony, Alfred finally seemed satisfied with the arrangements in the garden. It was a short lived satisfaction as he watched his employer stalk pensively about the grounds.

  
When Blake finally awoke Alfred was only too happy to shoo the both of them off to the cave. Selina remained absent as per Alfred’s expectations. After having been rousted away from her intended despite Bruce’s protests at the injustice of tradition that required him to be separated from his bride until the ceremony. He defied Alfred’s attempts at separation by kissing Selina soundly. He stroked her face and whispered ‘just a few hours more’ as Alfred tapped his foot and cleared his throat.

“How much longer?” she asked sleepily.

  
“Seven hours and fifity-two minutes,” Bruce replied without hesitation.

  
Selina laughed as she snuggled further into his neck, “I’ve never been a traditionalist, Alfred. Wake us in six.”

  
Bruce cast a look at his long time friend who crossed his arms defiantly, “Good luck with that, Kitten.”

  
  
Alfred had been good for another five hours of sleep before rousing Selina. She had finally been drawn away when Alfred strategically mentioned Sigmund was waiting in the east wing.

Then it had been nails, pedicure, facial and hair. Selina had not been looking forward to the excessive preparation until Pepper and Sigmund arrived on scene nursing cups of coffee and offering themselves as willing victims to the pampering alongside her. Neither of them had any qualms with the regiment Alfred had arraigned for the bridal party. Unbeknownst to Selina, a similar treatment was being afforded the master of the manor and his groomsmen.

The real fun, however, had not begun until Meghan arrived. The little girl was her own source of clean energy. Pepper had delightfully made this deceleration only moments after meeting the little girl and for one of the first times; Meghan readily accepted a new acquaintance. It became apparent why as stared fascinated at the strawberry blonde business mogul, “You is on my TV today. I like your pretty hair. “ It was also apparent why Meghan arrived wearing only her white slip. She had already managed to collect a variety of stains and smudges before their nails and facials were finished. Gordon was definitely an experienced father as he had obviously anticipated this and kept his daughter minimalist in her clothing. Megan was sitting in Sigmund’s lap as the stylist applied a hot towel for his shave. “Uncle Bruce gots one of those. Saw him earlier. Why didn’t you go with the boys?”

There was a muffled laugh from under the towel. Selina thought of saving him from the inquisitive child but elected instead to just enjoy her facial along with the floorshow. “I’m in here because this is where all of the attractive women are hiding. Why surround myself with blokes, when I can be with you and the other lovely ladies?”

Meghan nodded her head that she understood. She must have gotten curious at what the ‘blokes’ were up to because she soon made an appearance in the west wing. Following the sounds of male laughter, she clambered up the stairs into the lounge where the men stood sans jackets in their pressed black slacks. She looked among the forest of long legs for her father. She spied him standing beside her uncle Bruce and her eyes went wide. _He looks different._ She walked hesitantly up to him and tugged at his pants. The commissioner looked down in surprise and his eyes softened immediately. Meghan smiled in relief having been scared he would act different now as well. He picked her up under her arms and rather than settling into the crook of his arm she instead slipped her arms around his neck burying her face under his chin, hugging him tight.

Gordon returned the embrace rocking her as gently patting her back. He could tell by Meghan’s reaction that something had unsettled her, “Did you get lost Sunshine?”

“Your face is wrong.” The words were whispered quietly against his throat.

There was a collective laugh from the men in the room. “No wonder she is scared.” Blake smiled brightly at the commissioner, “You finally tamed the ‘stache so this is her first real look at your face.”

Gorgon chuckled as he ran his fingers through the close cut hair that was now trimmed into a fashionable goatee. “I thought I was looking pretty good actually.” He had been amused when the barber suggested that he turn the three-day rough over his jaw into a close clipped goatee.

“Smashing I would say good man.” Sigmund offered the compliment from the doorway. He had obviously accompanied the little girl on her journey and Gordon found himself liking the young man all over again. Gordon rousted the little girl off his shoulder and she lifted a tentative hand to his face. “If you don’t like it Meg I will change it back.” She looked unsure as she petted the coarse hair. Gordon noticed that she stayed focused on his eyes like she was looking for something. He brushed her nose with his and kissed her cheek. “I’m still your daddy, sunshine. Nothing is different. I’m still me.”

Meghan’s big blue eyes searched his as both her small hands were now stroking his face. In a small voice she said, “You look nice Daddy.”

He smiled wistfully as he lifted her chin with his fingertip, “And you are going to be a beautiful flower girl.”

Bruce watched on beside Fox as the little girl dismantled the Gotham City police commissioner. When she walked in the entire room could have fallen away and damn if Gordon would have noticed. If she had not approved of the goatee, Bruce had no doubt that Alfred would have been recalling the barber.

Sigmund caught eyes with Fox and gave him a wink. “God help the poor bugger that tries to date her.”

Fox’s eyes slipped from Gordon to appraise the attentive look on John Blake’s face as he observed the Commissioner and his daughter before finally settling on Bruce Wayne. He nodded his agreement to Sigmund, “Indeed.”

Sigmund chuckled, “Speaking of undateable women, your bird is looking dishy today Mr. Wayne.”

News of his fiancée was enough to break his attention away from little Meghan. He smiled knowingly at Sigmund, “I would expect nothing short of spectacular from Selina.”

Sigmund laughed, “Well, I was setting the bar low so that it seeing her would devastate you entirely.”

“It always does.” With a little shake of his head Bruce gave him the truth of it, “I foolishly think I’m ready, then when I do see her, it’s like a kick in the chest.”

“Best be ready today then sport. The way she looks,” he gave Bruce a sympathetic shake of his head, “You might ring up surgery and have them set aside a surplus of paracetamol.”

Bruce gave a Sigmund a shake of his head, “I’ve learned to just embrace the pain.”

X  
The men filtered into the garden unbidden by schedule. Alfred Pennyworth appraised each on arrival, assuring himself that all present were properly buttoned and ties remained straight. They had given themselves several once-overs before ever descending the stairway, but dutifully accepted Alfred’s appraising eye and fussing. Alfred himself looked most dapper in his own dark Armani suit.

Selina had not given Bruce any indication of what designer she would be wearing and Alfred’s only direction was to usher him to the wardrobe where a garment bag hung from a golden hook. His tailor had taken his final measurements the week before. The man had commented several times in hushed Italian about the alterations that would need to be made. Murmuring over the additional inches that must be allowed across Bruce’s chest and biceps, Wayne just stared icily at his reflection as he contemplated the reason for the adjustments. He and Blake had been killing it in both the gym and in the city and the physical results were showing. The difference in Blake was the most notable, thick swells of striated muscle now lay bunched under his protective suit. He carried himself differently as well, moving with an effortless efficiency that was so noticeable that Selina had even commented on it. ‘You should teach him to hide it better Bruce.’

Bruce spent the better part of his wedding day interacting with Blake, forgoing formal fight training to discuss Ninjutsu theory and encourage his protégé’s lagging interest in creating an alternate identity. In between sharing chemical ingredients of a particularly potent smoke grenade, Wayne encouraged Blake to explore the opulent lifestyle that his new position at Wayne Enterprises afforded him. The cars, penthouses and jets were just the beginning of a complete lifestyle change to which Blake needed to become accustomed. Bruce’s only word of caution was that Blake should protect his alter identity at all costs, not only to protect himself but everyone that had become so deeply involved with the Batman. Bruce had shaken his head as he took inventory of his own situation, “Never, since the creation of Batman, have so many people known who I am. I must say Blake the danger that brings to them and us is very real. Do not let yourself for—” he stopped himself and corrected his words, “get complacent. The cost is too high, John. I don’t want you to have to live with the repercussions.”

John nodded his acceptance of Bruce’s experienced direction knowing without explanation that Wayne had been thinking of Rachel Dawes. He watched over Bruce now as Alfred talked with Wayne. Alfred brushed off the shoulders of Bruce’s suit and straightened an already perfectly straightened tie while Bruce listened intently to his elderly butler. The look on Alfred’s face reminded Blake of the day in the penthouse where Alfred had guided him past his own fears and uncertainty, when Alfred had supported him into an uncertain and challenging future. Blake felt a warmth in his stomach that lifted into his chest, an alien, prideful swell that he could not seem to catalogue. _Connection._ A connection to something so incredibly important and special that it had to be a mistake that it was him standing there as an accepted member.

Gordon gave him a nudge and a knowing look. “I’ve been thinking the same thing myself kid. What am I, of all people, doing here? It seems surreal, but I tell you…we are all in this together. All we have is the trust placed in one another, but that can take you further then family ties and blood relations. You can look at Alfred and understand what a history of trust can mean to a man like Bruce, so don’t short yourself. You’ve earned your place here, Blake.” Gordon offered the next statement with his typical humility, “I believe I have as well. He asked us here today as Bruce Wayne, not the Batman.” The commissioner tilted his head toward the groom, “I think that might just be the highest level of trust we could be afforded.”

Blake had to agree with the commissioner. As he looked at Wayne he realized again how much Bruce deserved everything good that was happening in his life. Earlier that morning he had watched Bruce’s reaction as the clean energy plant went live in San Bernardino. They had been removing their armor in the cave below the Manor when Fox appeared on the computer monitors via secure link from Wayne Tower. They were connected to footage streaming live from the site in Cali. The crews celebrated as the lights in the city below dimmed before winking back without further disruption. Fox’s distinctive voice came from the speakers, “You did it, Mr. Wayne.”

The emotion in Wayne’s eyes was unmistakable when he responded, “You did Mr. Fox. You, Pepper…Stark.”

“And you.” Fox interrupted, “Your parents were philanthropists, Bruce. They wanted to leave their mark on this world, have it be better for their contributions.” Fox swallowed hard, “I believe their greatest contribution was you.” Fox lifted his eyes and stared at Bruce through the screen, “You changed the world today. You realize that don’t you, Bruce?”

Bruce had gone still when Fox spoke to him of his parents and when he finally responded the words seemed to come from the child Joe Chill left kneeling in that dark alley, “I wanted my life to mean something, Lucius. I wanted them to be proud of me.” Maybe it was years of being the Batman that helped Bruce keep his emotions contained, but Fox had not been able to. He removed his glasses and wiped at his eyes.

Selina slipped silently up beside Wayne, wrapping her leather-clad arm around his bare waist. She leaned her head against his chest as he secured her with an arm around her armored shoulders. Pepper appeared at his other side and he extended his free hand to her, which she clasped securely with both of hers as she beamed up at him, “It works Bruce.”

Alfred clapped Blake’s shoulder, “Lad I do believe we are witnesses to a historical event.”

Blake broke out of his thoughts as he watched Bruce scoop up a squealing Meghan and smother her with kisses. He abruptly released her and told her to go to Selina and deliver those for him. Megan cackled with ridiculous abandon as Bruce held her steady while she found her balance. “Go quick! Alfred said they are ready for your dress.”

Meghan’s eyes got wide and she let out a shrill squeal of delight as she ran from the garden her shoes tapping quickly on the stone floor. The men watched her departure with amusement, their humor was furthered as Sigmund waved farewell and dutifully trotted after the exuberant child as she had already set off down the wrong hall.

Alfred appeared at the doorway his eyes trained on the commissioner, “Mr. Gordon, you have a visitor.”

“Me? I do?” Gordon’s brows drew together in confusion before a mild panic appeared on his face as his daughter, Barbara, slunk from behind the tall butler to face him.

“Dad, I’m really sorry.” Her voice was barely audible as her imploring blue eyes searched his face for his reaction.

“What in god’s name are you doing here Babs?”

Blake took the Commissioner’s wine glass as he made his way through the bemused men to gather his daughter in a quick embrace. Gordon held her at arm’s length and took in her appearance. Dressed in a rumpled school uniform, it was as harsh an outfit as he had come across. The stark white blouse, despite being obviously days warn, was still stiff and rough under his palm. The prairie collar was unbuttoned and forgotten as it rolled in on itself. Her plaid tweed skirt and knee socks finished telling the story of why she was there. “Your mother sent you back.”

The anger in his whispered statement brought more tears to Barbara’s eyes. She dropped her head and rested it on Gordon’s shoulder, “I didn’t know where else to go. I’m sorry Dad. “

Wayne appeared beside him, “Jim if you need some privacy,” He opened the sliding door to the dojo. The commissioner opened his mouth to apologize and Bruce waved it off. “Your daughter is more than welcome in my home, both of your daughters,” he gave the young woman a supportive nod before patting the commissioner’s shoulder, “Take as much time as you need, Jim. We won’t start without you.”

Gordon chuckled, “I’d like to see you try it. I am officiating this shindig, you know?”

Barbara looked around with growing awareness that this might not be just any common social gathering . Her eyes lit on the cake… A wedding cake. “Oh no.” She pressed a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had done. “I asked Detective Stephens and he said you we here. Dad, he never said you were,” her voice faded and her look was one of despair as she muttered to herself, “presiding over... I just crashed Bruce Wayne’s wedding. Didn’t I?”

Wayne chuckled as the young woman attempted to choke out an apology. “Miss Gordon, you are no interruption. Better to describe you as a pleasant diversion. Your arrival is actually quite fortuitous. You likely distracted me from a pending panic attack as I am being forced to wait endlessly on my fiancée." Bruce offered his hand, “We have never been formally introduced. Bruce Wayne.” She shook his hand firmly and Bruce’s smile depended into something infinitely more genuine, “It is my pleasure to finally meet you, Barbara Gordon. I feel like I already know you through the many updates your father has shared with me over the years.”

“Same here.” Barbara Gordon took a shaky breath as she released the billionaire’s hand. She shook her head before trying to clarify, “About knowing you already I mean. Not that meeting you isn’t a pleasure of course, but I feel I already know you. Not through Dad obviously. I didn’t realize you two were even...” She gave her father a quick glance before returning her attention to the most influential man in Gotham. “I know you from the news I mean. All this mess happening in Gotham... well, they always seem to mention you.”

Bruce could not help but raise a brow at that.

She stammered on, “… ah the good things you are doing to fix it, I mean. The stories about what you are doing for the businesses and the city.” She glanced around again blushing as she realized everyone was watching her. Suddenly feeling out of place she looked to her father for guidance sighing weakly, “I should probably stop talking.”

Gordon chuckled as he watched his daughter bravely force her eyes to meet Wayne’s again. “What I meant to say is, while I am sorry for interrupting your wedding, Mr. Wayne, it is my true pleasure to meet you. You have been fighting for the city same as my dad.” She looked over at Gordon again, giving him a proud smile, “I still consider Gotham my home. It hurts me to see it suffering. It helps to know my father has someone to help him, someone that cares about saving Gotham as much as he does. “

Bruce and Gordon absorbed the recognition stoically, both moved by the young woman’s sentiment. Swallowing past the tightness at his collar, Gordon schooled his face into fatherly authority as he steered his eldest daughter into the empty expanse of the dojo, “We will only be a moment Bruce.”

Alfred was at Wayne’s elbow before the door slipped closed between them. “Shall we be expecting the arrival of the child’s mother as well, master Wayne? I imagine a domestic eruption of measurable magnitude would certainly follow.”

Bruce shrugged, “Anything is possible, Alfred. Stay on your toes.”

Alfred nodded, “As always Master Wayne.”

xxxx  
Selina slipped her phone into a fold of silk and smiled as Sigmund adjusted the drape of fabric against her back. “Quite the daring drop, I’d say.” He offered the assessment as he peeped down the gap before finishing the fold.

Selina smirked over her shoulder, before referencing the decorative silk sash that accented her narrow waist, “The obi-age conceals it.”

Sigmund hooked his chin over her bare shoulder, “It will be a nice surprise for the lucky toff when he finally gets to pull that ribbon loose.”

“Exactly, Siggy.” Grinning at her own reflection in the floor length mirror, Selina admired the delicate cherry blossom pattern that adorned the silk as she waited for the party crasher to arrive.

The door to the regency room cracked open and a young woman edged through. Sigmund and Pepper looked curiously over at the girl. Sigmund walked over to intercept her as he tossed a question over his shoulder, “You expecting another bridesmaid then, love?”

“Siggy, you are enough of a bridesmaid for two weddings why would I require another?”

With a squeak of excitement Meghan jumped off the padded ottoman, she had been standing upon while Pepper attempted to curl the impatient child’s wayward blonde locks. Meghan was a cherry blossomed blur as she ran to greet Gordon’s oldest daughter. Barbara dropped her bare knees to the floor as Meghan reached her. They both hugged each other tightly before Meghan released her and danced a happy circle. “Barbie! I didn’t know you was here! Is it a ‘prize? I’m ‘prized!”

Barbara laughed as she watched the little girl’s excitement. “Yes, Meghan. It was a surprise… for everyone. Even me.”

Selina stepped down off the low stool Sigmund had perched her on appraising Meghan’s reaction.

Alfred stood beside the door equally attentive to Selina’s response. Women could be temperamental on any given day with a tendency toward volatility on their wedding day, if media sources were to be believed. He intended to remain present to offer interference should it become required. Filling his obligatory duty, Alfred offered the necessary explanation to justify the interruption, “Forgive our intrusion, Ms. Kyle. Ms. Gordon needed to speak with her father and wished to see the little miss before departing.”

Selina’s eyes slipped over the excited little girl at her feet before she lifted an eyebrow at the younger woman before her. “So you crash my wedding and now you think you just get to dip out? I don’t think so.”

The young woman struggled to her feet, her arms filled with her clinging smaller sister. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I don’t want to ruin your day.”

“Get real,” Selina snorted, “No one could ruin this day.” She turned back to check her reflection out again in the mirror before giving the new arrival a challenging look through the glass, “Haven’t you heard, Barbie? Today I’m marrying a billionaire.”

Barbara blinked back in surprise, both at the overly familiar use of her nickname as well as the woman’s sarcastic frankness concerning Wayne’s fortune.

Sigmund had drifted back to Selina and took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her slender waist before dropping a seductive kiss on her bare shoulder. “When you finally become a Wayne the loot will be all ours.”

Barbara’s blue eyes widened further behind the heavy dark rimmed glasses.

Alfred cleared his throat giving a stern look to the canoodling couple, only barely managing to conceal his mirth and maintain an air of disapproval.

Sigmund was helpless against the chastisement. The kiss dissolved as his lips pulled into a smile and he chuckled, “Yes, yes very well, old chap.” Sigmund’s mischievous blue eyes met the copper-haired girl’s in the mirror. He winked at the baffled young woman, “My darling Selina insists on leading with the most unromantic aspects of her relationship. She is in fact marrying a billionaire. It just so happens that he is the love of her life.” Sigmund feigned a bite at her shoulder as he blinked innocently up at Selina, “That was how you described him, wasn’t it, love?”

Selina smirked at their reflection together even as her hand settled over his arm, “Stop spreading my secrets, Sig.”

Alfred smiled indulgently at the two young friends, no longer willing to offer any semblance of disapproval fearing he might actually prompt them to separate.

Selina kissed the young man’s temple before her eyes roved over to the young girl who she studied for a few long seconds, “So, Barbara Gordon… Meghan can’t say enough about you. I do mean that literally by the way. She has gone on about you at length, many times.” The obvious approval of what Meghan had told her was apparent when Selina went on to introduce her to the others.

Selina nudged the man with her shoulder, “This ridiculous wanker is my bridesman, Sigmund Geller. Meghan’s hair-dresser over there is the multitalented CEO of Stark Industries, Ms. Pepper Potts. Everyone, this is Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara.”

Alfred appeared at Selina’s side offering her a small smile of approval. “And may I present to you Ms. Gordon, the mysterious, if not on occasion slightly mischievous, Ms. Selina Kyle.”

xx  
Sigmund eyed the young girl, appraising her appearance while shaking his head. _If the Christian academy thought the uniform they created inspired an untouchable air of formality and rigidity they had not seen said garment put together on the budding form of this young lady…_ Her lengthening legs left the pleated skirt sitting just short of proper. The fitted waist of her stiff white top accentuated an already impressive bust line. Brazen Copper hair hanging over one shoulder coupled with horned rimmed glasses only furthered the image of a naughty schoolgirl.

Sigmund waved off the girl’s fashion input as he paced a quick circle around her. “We haven’t much time to get you out of this hideousness and into something presentable. Shake-a-leg, pet.” He ushered the girl over to the mirror.

Selina laughed as Sigmund had obviously moved on to claim a fresh victim thus allowing for her own liberation. Her amusement was compounded when Pepper reclaimed the smallest Gordon with the minor concession of moving their curling operation closer to her big sis. Meghan cackled along with Selina as she watched Sigmund play dress up with her big sister. Pepper used the distraction to her advantage as she continued expertly curling the child’s hair.

Sigmund made himself at home digging through the girl’s backpack before claiming Selina’s silk uchikake wrap as he walked past. Throwing it over his arm Sigmund raised his other hand in defiance to Selina token protest, “Not hearing it. You said yourself it was warm enough you didn’t need it.”

 Settling on a pair of black chinos from Bab’s bag and one of Selina’s only non-heel options, a pair of black ballet flats, Sigmund unbuttoned an additional button on the white uniform blouse before tucking the tails neatly into her waistband. Before Barbara could protest, he swung Selina’s Japanese silk wrap around her shoulder. It was designed to wear over her traditional style wedding dress, but looked very put together over Barbara’s plain white top. Sigmund shook his head. If we had some red trousers to pick up the darker shades of the pattern this would be perfect.” He sounded so regretful that Barbara was momentary distressed that she was unable to provide him with the desired garment.

Selina assessed the young girl’s appearance with a critical eye, “The black looks fine, Sig.” She lifted her eyes to meet Barbara’s, “Next time you bust out of the nunnery kid, don’t forget to pack your red hot pants.”

Barbara chuckled at the unexpected duo, “I’ll do that.”

Pepper smiled at the young woman as she continued to fuss with Meghan’s already perfect hair. “I think you look lovely. Why don’t you and I go help this one get ready to throw her petals.”

Barbara nodded, grateful to have some contribution that she could make. She stopped short and looked back at Selina. “I have a camera.” She offered hesitantly, “I mean I know you must already have a professional photographer, but I am pretty good. I could take a few shots maybe.”

Selina grinned, “Start now.” She grabbed Pepper and Sigmund and pulled them in beside her. Barbara smiled back at the excited bride as she removed her obviously expensive camera from her worn backpack. She made a few quick adjustments and then pointed it at the group of friends, “On three every one say, ‘Brand new Billionaire.’” Laughter erupted from the trio as the camera clicked away.  
x  
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Bruce stood alone on the bridge that arched above the koi pond. Carved of stone it held the same charm of many of the authentic Japanese walkways he had visited while abroad. He watched the swirling masses of butterfly-finned fish drift in and out of the dappled light. The echoing rumble of distant thunder was the only sound surrounding him before the rasping slide of the dojo wall heralded Alfred’s arrival.

When Alfred gave him a nod Bruce, the fearless protector of Gotham, felt his spine go ridged and his breath catch in his chest. Swallowing hard he watched the door for Selina, but instead it was Gordon’s eldest daughter that appeared. A small smile twitched at the corner of his lips. She looked like a different person. No longer the Catholic school runaway, she was wrapped in a salmon pink silk wrap that dropped over her shoulders and gathered in a traditional tie at her hips. It was a little long for her, likely having been tailored for the streamlines of his tall fiancée. The uchikake was a forgiving garment though and it had been suitably altered for Gordon’s lovely daughter. Sigmund’s handy work no doubt.

The commissioner obviously approved of the wardrobe change for when he followed his daughter out to the garden he was smiling proudly. Barbara grinned back, lifting the camera to snap several photos of her dashing father. Gordon watched with a satisfied air as Babs put his Christmas present to her to its proper use.

Bruce observed while pictures were taken of his wedding party. He had not authorized Alfred to hire a photographer preferring that Alfred himself take any photos. It had been too important to him that the intimacy of the day be preserved. Anyone other than the small gathering of people already involved would have felt like an intrusion. His lips twitched again. _Bab’s arrival obviously served to change my position on that._

The lens of her camera turned to him and he must have tensed for the lens dropped away revealing Barbara'a bright blue eyes. She smiled reassuringly at him. “Selina asked me to capture one last photo of Gotham’s most eligible bachelor…before she takes him down.” A small self-deprecating smile broke across the billionaire’s face and the young girl marveled a bit at his reaction before regaining her bearings and lifting the camera back to her eye. “And down you go, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce braced a hand on the rough curve of the bridge, watching as Meghan emerged through the door. She looked back over her shoulder as her feet shifted nervously. Sigmund was beside her the next instant. Dropping to a knee, he twirled a blonde curl in his finger as he whispered in her ear. Meghan peeped around his shoulder and took in the sight of the men she had grown to know so well.

She nodded as Sigmund pulled away before dipping her small hand into the white basket resting in the crook of her arm. Delicate cherry blossoms fell to the stone pathway. Several drifted onto Sigmund’s knee, as he remained poised beside the child ensuring that she was able to proceed on her own.

Barbara captured the enchanting image on her camera. The soft pink and reds of the blossoms matched the cummerbund of Sigmund’s suit. The simple design on the silk was of cherry branches and petals and matched exactly those on the salmon sash of Selina’s dress.

This was something Bruce noticed immediately for himself as his bride stepped out onto the patio.

Her arm was looped through Alfred’s and Bruce watched her steady herself against the sturdy side of the man that raised him. Selina took a nervous breath when their eyes met. Bruce had to hold himself steady, the urge to go to her so strong that it was a physical battle not to respond.

Selina’s attention was drawn from him as Alfred presented her with an arrangement of twisted branches laden with cherry blossoms and a lacing of red-throated orchids. She smiled down at the flowers and then up at Alfred. He looked down at her with such paternal love that he had Selina’s eyes bright with emotion as they shared a few private words. Bruce watched with them with such rapt attention that he nearly missed the tentative approach of the smallest Gordon. Sigmund walked behind her, serving as unwavering support while the child diligently sprinkled the walkway with flower petals.

By the time the group made their way to the bridge a complete calm had established itself within Bruce. He recognized it from years of training, it was absolute focus and control of his mind and body. It was the unwavering certainty of purpose and action that held him stock-still as Selina approached.

The dress she had chosen was beautiful on her—simple and elegant… timelessly classic. It spoke of both her past and the venue chosen for the vows. Oriental flare managed without overwhelming modern trappings nor was it suffocating in its own strict traditionalism. The essence of Selina Kyle was uniquely represented, her past and present perfectly blended.

The simple flowers she carried looked as if could have been plucked from the bountiful cherry trees arching above them. The trees lay so heavy with blooms his every breath was filled with their light almond scent. Bruce took an intentional breath now wanting forever to remember this day… the smell of cherry blossoms and promised rain. There were scent combinations that would he would forever associate with Selina. Smells that were hard wired into his primitive hindbrain so that merely a hint of them would instantly take him back to treasured memories of her. _The hint of orange blossom in her hair…the mix of gunpowder and ocean on her skin...and now…petrichor and Yoshino cherry._

As Alfred guided her onto the bridge Bruce again felt the depth of his gratitude to the man that had been there when his world fell apart. A man his father picked because of his devotion and character, because he had known that one day a man like Alfred Pennyworth might be needed to guide his son’s future. Bruce felt the pin pricks behind his eyes as he thought again of his parents and wished they could have been there to see him make his vows to Selina. He looked to Fox and saw the familiar pride in his old friend as he and Blake trailed behind Selina.

The same pride was evident in Alfred as well. It was in his face and in his bearing as he guided Selina. Not that on any given day Alfred carried himself with anything less than complete grace, but today his shoulders were drawn wide and he seemed inches taller. Selina’s own long legs and high heels made them a striking sight as they stepped along the flowered path. _Maybe it was the weight that was lifted from him… seeing me take this step… seeing me finally beginning to live my life. Maybe it really had been that heavy of a burden for him to shoulder…waiting for me to find happiness…waiting for me to want a future…to decide to live._

Meghan stopped beside the bridge and lifted her arms for Sigmund to gather her up. Acting every bit her dutiful aid, he complied immediately, sweeping her comfortably into the crook of his arm. Sigmund smiled broadly as Alfred and Selina passed onto the stone bridge.

Alfred patted Selina’s hand as she slipped from his protective support. Alfred paused a moment and took her hand in his, bowing slightly he brought her knuckles to his lips. He kissed her hand before then reaching for Bruce. He brought both of their hands together as his deep blue eyes met Bruce’s hazel green. “I have never been more proud of you Bruce. In the man you have become, in the life you have chosen. The sacrifices you have made have brought you here.” Alfred smoothed his thumb over Selina’s hand. They brought you both here... to one another.”

Selina watched Alfred protectively as he stepped away before taking his place beside Bruce. Blake appeared silently to stand at Alfred’s side. She did not miss the gentle nudge of support Blake offered to the older gentleman.

Sigmund and Fox took their place flanking Selina. Meghan reached out a tentative hand to touch the wave of Selina’s chestnut hair. Selina smiled at the child before giving Sigmund a wink.

Fox nodded his support to his long time friend and employer before stepping forward to embrace the bride to be. She curled into Fox’s chest as he held her. He ran his thumb along the pearls at her neck. “When Bruce asked me to bring his mother’s pearls to him before your flight to France, I knew then that he loved you. I had hopes then that this day would find the two of you.” The words were spoken over Selina’s head and it was so reminiscent of that day on the tarmac that Bruce was taken aback. He had known then how he felt about Selina and the emotions he felt had grown only stronger.

“Lucius, you have been a hopeful romantic from the very beginning. Always an advocate, a voice of reason to help us find our way.” Selina finally broke away from the embrace and kissed his cheek, “You helped make this possible. Helped make me believe I could really be a part of this. Thank you.”

Fox beamed down at her and nodded his head in silent support as Selina turned to face Bruce.

“I was hoping you would eventually get back to me.”

Selina smiled, “I always make it back to you, Bruce...eventually. “

Bruce tugged on a twist of her hair, “Marry me.”

Selina seemed to have lost the ability to respond; instead, she took a shaky breath and nodded.

“I believe this is where I come in.” The Commissioner smiled benevolently at the couple from his station across the still expanse of water. As he began to speak, the sound of thunder rolled louder in the distance.  
Xxx

Gordon spoke of love, of duty, of honor, of a future earned through a lifetime of sacrifice and loss. He spoke of a life they were destined to share if not by fate then by their own sheer force of will. A life sanctioned if not by divine design, then by Gotham City herself with him serving as her voice. Bruce heard the words but his attention never wavered from the woman in front of him. Gordon spoke of sacrifice and love lost, but Bruce refused to relive that loss again even in memory. He had existed all he was willing to in the past. Rachel would always be part of him of who he was, but he could not…would not sacrifice any more of his life to her memory.

He felt Selina’s hands tighten on his as the sharp eyes of his bride searched his face. If she was looking for pain...for indecision…regret, she would not find it. There was only calm clarity of love as they followed Gordon’s words and vowed their love to one another and in unison said “I do.”

Gordon nodded his approval as the couple exchanged bands; “In as much as you have declared your love for one another today and have expressed in front of your family your wish to spend your future together, by the power vested in me by the great city of Gotham, I pronounce you wed. I declare you united as one, in love and life.” The commissioner smiled at the couple, “It is time to begin your journey together.”

Gordon’s words hung in the air as they kissed and the first tendrils of the storm reached Wayne Manor. The fresh scent of rain enveloped them when a sudden breeze rushed through the garden. Selina’s hair came alive in the wind, lifting from her shoulder to stream behind her as hundreds of cherry blossoms above them were disturbed from their rest atop knurled branch tips and released down over them.

Barbara smiled behind her camera as she captured the kiss among the shower of petals. The falling cherry blossoms that feathered onto Wayne’s broad shoulders and lit in Selina’s loose long hair made for a mesmerizing photo. She adjusted for the sudden loss of light before raising the camera to her face again. The dark clouds of the storm on the horizon made the pictures even more powerful. Selina’s bright dress offered stark contrast from the approaching darkness. The kiss continued with Wayne’s hand at her waist, the other buried in her blowing hair with flowers falling like burning rain over the two of them. “Spectacular.” Barbara murmured as the shutter fluttered while she endeavored to capture the moment.

The way Wayne looked at Selina when they parted was an image that she desperately hoped the camera had captured. The look of longing and love...devotion that made her suddenly want to believe in the sanctity of marriage again.

Selina smiled against Bruce’s lips. “A storm is coming, Mr. Wayne.”

“It’s not the first we have faced.” He traced her jaw with his fingers, “Care to weather another with me, Mrs. Wayne?”

Selina rubbed her cheek against his hand, “I’ll be right beside you.”  
X  
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“Protecting the world from threats beyond the capabilities of standard national security agencies.”- Wikia.com- SHIELD entry

[i] AGENTS OF SHIELD Wikipedia S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, law-enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 (Aug. 1965), it often deals with paranormal and superhuman threats. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, known as S.H.I.E.L.D., is a government agency specializing in military, scientific research and application and espionage with a mandate to protect the world from threats beyond the capabilities of standard national security agencies. Formed from the remnants of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), S.H.I.E.L.D. is made up of personnel from three divisions: Operations, Science/Technology and Communications.

Edits by CHEED!!!!!!


	18. Chapter 18

Selina watched him over the rim of the delicate china cup allowing the heat from the tea to warm her chilled fingertips before sipping tentatively at the steaming beverage. She smiled into the cup as Bruce distractedly ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair before sluggishly pushing up out of bed and shrugging into his father's robe.

His sleepy eyes finally found her sitting by the window and he huffed a laugh at the obvious merriment present in his wife's eyes. _My wife._ Bruce heaved a satisfied breath and held it in his lungs a moment.

"So, no less in love today than before yesterday's nuptials, is that right then, sir?" Alfred did not pause for a response, electing instead to move from his stoic stance beside Selina to pour an aromatic blend of coffee into a simple white mug, the common style of which the master expressed preference. With an imperially lifted brow, the proper butler assessed Selina wrapped happily in Wayne's purple robe failing to hide a bright smile. "Hopeless cases, the both of you."

Selina chuckled as she reseated her cup delicately into its matching saucer. "Mr. Pennyworth I think you are the most pleased of us all, truth be told."

Alfred sniffed with feigned superiority before acquiescing with a solemn nod, "That might well be the case Mrs. Wayne."

Bruce evaluated Selina's reaction to hearing her new title. _Hard swallow...subtle widening of her eyes…slight tremor in hand just enough to chatter the tea cup before rebalancing it steadily atop the saucer…abject terror it is then._ He huffed another laugh as he collected his coffee cup from the small marble topped bistro table. Leave it to matrimony to unnerve the seemingly fearless feline. Well this was uncharted territory. Bruce gave Alfred an evaluating once over as well. _Dutiful attendance under shadowed by hopeful curiosity tempered with a bit of protective fatherly concern…uncharted territory for us all to be sure._

Bruce sipped his coffee as he looked thoughtfully out the window over the grounds of the manor, his mind actively working on the problems that had never fully left his thoughts. _SHIELD…HYDRA…the Joker._

Alfred obviously recognized the familiar look after years of service as he watched the master of the manor with cool expectancy, "I suppose a quiet Sunday repose for the newly wedded is not in the realm of possibilities?"

Bruce cut his eyes from the view of the freshly manicured lawn to assess Selina's response to the possibility of their time together being curtailed by his duty to Gotham. Selina did not disappoint as her lips turned up into an expectant smile. "Something on for us today, husband?"

The satisfied smile that broke free at her question and her less than subtle assumption her assistance would be needed brought another unsolicited observation from Alfred. "I will be forever grateful you both found one another." He settled the tea service and coffee carafe onto a gleaming silver tray while he fussed. "No one else on the bloody planet would be able to navigate a relationship with either of you."

The delighted smile that burst across Selina's face at Alfred's chiding brought a chuckle from Wayne as he sipped his coffee. "What can I say, Alfred, we were fortuitous in our union."

Smiling tolerantly at the beaming billionaire Alfred was forced to agree, "Most fortuitous indeed, sir. Will you require my assistance with your endeavors today as well, Master Wayne?"

"Of course, Alfred." His offer did not surprise Wayne in the least. While staunch disapproval seemed to be Alfred's default position on the Bat, he had in fact been tireless in his efforts to assist in any capacity available to ensure Wayne's safety and success as the Batman. Selina, less used to witnessing Alfred's contributions was all smiles as Bruce began listing off items to the attentive butler. "By the time I arrived back in the states after Joker's escape there was little left of the original scene to process. What was available had already been contaminated by Arkham security or GCPD. Now that we know HYDRA was likely complicit in the Joker's disappearance I want another look. I need Arkham Asylum's employee roster, six months prior to Joker's escape to present will do. I need them complete with personnel files and background checks. Not the Arkham backgrounds, although you may include those if available. I want the names run through our system. It shouldn't be too much work, the hospital was only officially brought online since Blackgate was breeched. Bruce sipped his coffee before continuing more to himself than the room, "I want to know everyone that had dealings with the hospital. Corruption has a way of staining all the way through organizations like Arkham. The debacle at SHIELD serves a reminder of that lesson. Those complicit in his escape could still be involved with the facility."

Alfred nodded in sage agreement; "Well you will need only look far as your old mate from primary to confirm there are bad seeds being sewn into the ranks of Arkham Asylum." The crinkle of Bruce's brow was enough of a question that Alfred offered an explanation without further prompting. "Surely, Master Wayne, you are aware that the current administrator for Arkham is Dr. Thomas Elliot?"

"Tommy?" The incredulous tone of the question was not lost on Alfred.

"None other, Master Wayne. He was appointed shortly after the loss of Jeremiah Arkham during the occupation."

"Not much of a loss there..." Selina offered in her unsolicited opinion of the former psych hospital administrator.

Alfred agreed without hesitation, "No loss at all in fact, Mrs. Wayne."

Bruce was still musing over the new information, "Tommy as a hospital administrator? I just cannot fathom that. I never figured he would give up private practice for administration."

Alfred's response was crisp, "No doubt he has found a dictatorship at the Arkham facility to be a prodigious source from which to feed his already bloated ego. Not to mention as director of a campus such as Arkham the influence of the position alone would guarantee generous opportunities to mingle among Gotham's social elite." Alfred's cool blue stare never wavered, "Thomas has always been quite a social climber."

Bruce smirked at the older man, "After all these years, you still don't care for Tommy."

"No, Master Wayne. I do not care at all for Thomas Elliot."

Selina watched the interaction with open interest. Knowing without exception, that Bruce would do what he did with his next breath. Explain. "Tommy is a childhood friend." Bruce continued to hold his eyes on Alfred though it was to Selina that he spoke. "We grew up together here in the Palisades. Tommy, Rachel, and I were friends even before my parents died."

Alfred corrected his recollection, "Rachel was your friend Master Wayne. She did not consider Thomas Elliot as such. Ms. Dawes found him repellant." At that statement, Bruce lowered his mug and turned completely to face Alfred. Alfred diverted his gaze from the younger man's challenging stance as he brushed imaginary lint from his sleeve of his dark suit jacket, "Her words, Master Wayne, not mine."

Bruce sighed exasperatedly, "Tommy acted out, Alfred. He was in pain. He had lost his father."

Alfred's hard blue eyes lifted again to meet Bruce's, "So had you." Pausing for a moment Alfred continued, "Bruce, you were always willing to excuse Thomas's abhorrent behavior because you understood, all too well, his personal losses. That being said, Thomas Elliot was a manipulative bully before his father's accident and well after, if you recall."

Bruce sighed heavily as he typed on his cell phone, "I recall, Alfred."

"I can only imagine how Dr. Elliot's particular collection of personality defects will manifest themselves now that he is in command of a facility such as Arkham."

Bruce ground his jaw as he grudgingly agreed with Alfred's concern. "Tommy is a well-respected physician. More so since specializing in neurology, but he's not the most temperate of men. I definitely would not see him as a fit for directing a facility like Arkham Asylum."

"He's more Arkham resident material then, you think?" Selina offered her amused suggestion.

"Yes," Alfred answered definitively.

"Possibly," Bruce responded after a moment of thoughtful consideration.

Selina chuckled at their collective assessments, "Well Wayne, looks like it might benefit you to start your investigation at the top of Arkham and work your way down."

Bruce gave her a knowing smile, "I think that is just what I'm going to do, kitten. If you are down for it, while I am up with the top echelon, I'd like you to poke around the basement a bit. Literally kitten, I want you to break into the basement and have a look for me." Selina looked positively delighted at the suggestion. She reached immediately for the laptop beside her and began pulling up the blueprints for the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

"I shall procure the information you requested, Master Wayne." Alfred smiled down at Selina who was already pecking away at the computer keys. "Shall I put on another kettle, Mrs. Wayne?"

Selina beamed up at him, "Only if you have the time, Alfred."

Alfred patted her knee which now helped support a humming laptop. "I will steep it myself and have it brought up directly."

Bruce smirked as he refilled his own mug while he side-eyed his elderly butler in amusement, "More coffee for me, as well. Thanks for asking, Alfred."

"I will see what can be done, Master Wayne." Alfred responded to the teasing in kind.

Selina's lopsided smile at their interaction brought another rumbling chuckle from Bruce. Coffee refilled he now busied himself with his phone and a few moments later a text alert chimed. Bruce glanced up at Selina, "How do you feel about having a guest for dinner?"

"Elliot? Ugh." She made a face. "I don't want to invite him over and have Alfred be uncomfortable. He obviously can't stand the guy."

Bruce laughed, "You are worried about offending Alfred's delicate sensibilities? You have met Alfred have you not? I mean you cannot actually believe Alfred Pennyworth would bother hiding his disapproval of Thomas? Selina, Alfred doesn't hide his disapproval of me and I sign his checks."

"Alfred signs his own checks, Bruce. I've seen him do it." Selina retorted. "Besides, this Elliot guy sounds like a complete tool. Don't make Sig and I deal with him over dinner. He'll probably hit on Pepper and then she'd have to eviscerate him. The entire evening is likely to deteriorate into anarchy."

Bruce snorted at Selina's fatalistic foreshadowing, "I would be remiss if I didn't inform you that marriage obligates you to at least make an effort to get along with my friends. I tolerate skinny Sigmund for you after all."

Selina responded with an eye roll as she typed. "You almost beat Sig up the first time you met him, Bruce. Besides, I try hard enough with Blake. That's big points for me right there." She looked up from her laptop and fixed her eyes on him, "Besides, you love Siggy."

Bruce rolled his eyes, " _You_ love Sigmund and you hardly try at all with Blake."

"Yeah, well," Selina agreed and went back to typing before confirming what they both knew. "Anyways, you do to love Sigmund." Laughing Bruce finally nodded in acknowledgement. Selina did not miss the concession, her sharp eyes flashing up before focusing back on the computer screen. "We are even big guy, friend for friend. Blake for Sig." She smirked as she typed, "Plus Pepper. I almost forgot her. I'm one up. Alfred and Fox are on the house." His phone chirped. Selina smirked as she continued to peck away on the laptop. "Take Blake over to meet him. You said Elliot was a neurologist, maybe he could poke around in Blake's brain and pinpoint where things went wrong."

Bruce's silence had her looking up to determine if he might have been angered by the off the cuff suggestion. Instead, Bruce remained silent, a pensive look on his face before returning his attention back to his phone. "You are nearly too smart for your own good sometimes, kitten." Not sensing upset from Bruce and happy to be off the hook for dinner, Selina shrugged off the comment and immersed herself into research of Arkham Asylum.

Xxxxx

The afternoon for the three was spent hidden behind computer screens. Bruce was digging through medical research, before training with Blake. Selina tasked herself with unearthing blueprints and photos of the hospital looking for breaks in their security. Alfred saw to the domestic needs of the newlyweds and then began working to compile the data requested of him. He coordinated the Manor's staff by phone from the Batcave as he worked, pausing between data computation to finalize the dinner and dessert menu as well as approving fabric selections for additional bespoke suits for Wayne. He also narrowed down a roster of proposed personal shoppers for the mistress's final perusal before going back to screening the Arkham employees. He worked through lunch and likely would not have realized had not Blake discovered him some hours later working diligently at the massive computer housed below the Manor. Alfred startled at the cup of tea placed next to his elbow. He nodded his appreciation to the young man. "Master Blake, I believe we have our roles reversed today."

Blake nodded, "Seems so, Alfred. I hope you won't be disappointed with my meager offerings." He acknowledged the soup and sandwich half that he placed beside the teacup. "Honestly, it would be hard even for me to botch lunch up when it's already been prepared, so at least you have that going for you."

Feeling the hollowness of his stomach Alfred checked his watch; "Bloody hell, is it that late?" Alfred gathered his phone and shot off a quick text regarding dinner set up.

Blake tried not to read the text, but his nature did not allow many details to go by him unnoticed. Alfred was obviously stretched today. "Bruce said you could use my help on a project?"

Alfred nodded as he pushed away from the computer. "By all means, Master Blake, take the helm. You have presented me with the temptation of tea and I find that I am positively gasping."

Blake snorted a laugh at the Englishman's response before settling in a spare chair. He took one glance at the roster of nurses before his head whipped up and he focused intently on Alfred. "So, Bruce really is sick, or hurt. I knew he was just putting me off earlier. How bad is it, Alfred?" Taken aback Alfred faltered a moment before beginning to explain the task. Blake cut him off, "Really, just tell me Alfred. Bruce has been researching head trauma and concussion syndrome all morning. He said it was about some guy at Arkham, but I saw the file. It had Bruce's name on it. Is it serious? Should he even still be going out on patrol in the city?"

Alfred swallowed hard before placing the teacup firmly back onto the saucer and gathering himself to his feet, "Let's find out for ourselves, shall we?" Blake scrambled up and fell into step behind Alfred.

Xxx

Sigmund had awoken shortly before eleven am to find Selina attempting to print, in map layout, the rough prints for a haunted looking lunatic asylum. She mumbled something about developing a new security system for the hospital. Sigmund took her mostly plausible excuse in stride. There was a lot about Selina Kyle that didn't always add up, but being her friend and intending to remain as such seemed to necessitate that he not ask too many prying questions. He had seen her shut down before when he pressed for answers on Bruce Wayne. Therefore, instead of voicing the litany of questions he had, Sigmund simply altered the settings on the copier and took over Selina's laptop efficiently printing off the pages she needed.

Selina accepted the assistance of her friend and wordlessly plucked another laptop from a side table before plopping next to him on a couch in what had quickly morphed from Martha Wayne's retreat into her own. Selina found she liked the windows in the room. They dropped low to the floor so when she looked up from the computer screens to rest her eyes she could watch the birds and squirrels flitting about the shrubbery in the manicured flower gardens. The bright sun from the surrounding windows was diffused by the shear yellow curtains, which made the room appear both cheerful and warm. Alfred had either predicted her predilection for the room or he had observed her heading for Martha's retreat and had the reactionary capabilities of a caffeinated Ninja, for when she entered she found a warm tea service and a collection of electronic devices charged and at the ready. The tea and two of the encrypted laptops were quickly put to use.

Sigmund accepted Selina's newest project with the same gusto he showed for most things in his life. Once he understood what was required he flung himself into the project with little prompting seemingly happy to be of assistance. He quickly found himself caught up in the family dramas of Arkham. "Did you know the bird for which the hospital was named was mother to the founder? It is formally known as The Elizabeth Arkham Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Quite catchy that." Sigmund offered the sarcasm under his breath and continued his narrative. "Elizabeth had suffered with mental illness herself most of her life. Her son, Amadeus Arkham, yes his name was Amadeus, ended up being a rather prestigious psychiatrist. He eventually served as his mother's Psychiatrist in fact." Sigmund raised a knowing eyebrow. "Amadeus evidently had no ethical qualms about treating family and in due time became the executer of the family fortune. He used the funds to build Arkham Asylum. He did dedicate the hospital in his mother's name so I suppose he was a good egg in the end." Sigmund looked over his dark eyeglass rims at Selina, "It was the least the doctor-son could do, seeing that he formally committed his dear mum to that very asylum only a few short months after its opening."

Selina looked up from the blueprints of the hospital obviously intrigued by the history on the facility. "Sounds like a real charmer. The old director, the one before Elliot, what relation was he to the original family?"

"Ah, Jeremiah Arkham. It says here that he was a great nephew to the original founder and the last viable option to keep the hospital in the Arkham bloodline. But alas, all boorish Jeremiah managed to accomplish during his tenure was to further taint the already questionable medical reputation of the asylum and eventually see himself hanged to death from the fourth-floor observatory of his own facility."

Selina grimaced at the video clip Sigmund presented showing the much-maligned surgeon swaying from the knotted end of a rope constructed of bed sheets. "To paraphrase TS Elliot love, the world will not end with a bang, but with a nephew."

Selina chucked heartily at that assessment before flipping the screen of her computer around for Sigmund to view, "Look at the architecture of the buildings, Sig. It is beautiful, in its own creepy way."

Sigmund gave the photo a long look before dropping back to his reading, "Why the bloody hell would they build it in the middle of the Narrows of all the godforsaken places..."

Selina nudged his leg with hers. The Narrows weren't there when it was originally built. The Asylum was the only thing on the island. Most of the employees were housed right on the campus. Here and here." Selina pointed out two buildings as she spoke to the now attentive Sigmund, "These are the male and female nurses' dormitories, there are the generators, the laundry, chapels, the physicians' residence even a garage and maintenance building. Their water was originally fed from underground springs and they had massive generators for when the power from the mainland failed. The hospital property is nearly two hundred acres in total. All of it surrounded by a high stonewall and enormous evergreen trees. As the hospital got more into debt, Arkham began to subsidize it by selling off bits of the surrounding property until eventually a city had built up outside the hospital walls."

Selina showed him another aerial photo that displayed the true scope of the facility. The campus was a sprawling testament to classic Victorian Architecture. The building and grounds were in stark contrast to the cluttered slums surrounding it. Sigmund shook his head, "I must say I'm on board with the original design. Marooning the homicidal lunatics on an island away from the sane citizens of Gotham is sound planning in my opinion. What I cannot fathom is why developers would then build residences around it?"

Selina shrugged, "Look what they put up there. Government housing. The poverty stricken will go to where they can afford to live. They slapped up those concrete monstrosities as closely to one another as they could and packed them with anyone that could afford the first month's rent. No one gave a damn as to how GCPD was supposed to police that place. Crime exploded. The only thing that saved the hospital from being overrun by the criminal element around them was the fact the criminals inside Arkham were more terrifying than the ones running loose in the Narrows."

"Well stated, love. There exists a colorful history of characters incarcerated within Arkham over the years." Sigmund twisted the computer so Selina could see the photos of several of the original residents. "I can imagine him bouncing about quite contentedly in the padded rooms." She snickered at Sigmund's irreverence. "I can't believe someone let this dangerous lot loose to run the streets unchecked. The League of Shadows or some such rot?" He looked up to Selina for confirmation.

Acknowledging the accuracy of his research with a nod, Selina stretched and then pillowed her head on Sigmund's shoulder, "What else does it say?"

"Not much that would surprise a native. Gothamites likely tell these tales as a bedtime stories, but it really is a terrifying read for the rest of the civilized world." Sigmund was elbowed for his musings so he returned with a huff to recounting the events following the release of Arkham's inmates. "It says a former psychiatrist at the facility, Jonathan Crane, was experimenting on the patients. He created a toxin that he let loose in to the water system on the island. Unbelievable." Sigmund scrolled down the screen as he muttered to himself. "The abuse of those poor beggars could have been going on for years."

Selina smiled to herself, "Word is Dr. Crane is now a resident of Arkham. He might just be getting a little payback from his former patients."

She was brought out of her reverie, by Sigmund's light nudge. "Elizabeth Arkham may actually have been a victim of murder." Sigmund wiggled his brows behind the thick dark rims of the reading glasses he wore. He pulled his finger across his throat, "Mrs. Arkham was found by the first shift orderlies, stiff and cold in her hospital bed. Some Gotham historians believe little Amadeus may have done the ole girl in himself. Mostly likely a strike for vengeance for having been named Amadeus."

Selina snorted, "Well if her throat was slit it's not much of a reach to assume foul play as a possibility."

By now the two of them were shoulder-to-shoulder slumped on the plush couch with feet propped on the stone tiled table. Sigmund turned his head and smacked a kiss on her cheek, "Stop taking things so literally, love. There was no dagger to the jugular. Elizabeth Arkham was discovered dead with no obvious injury or prior illness, other than her advancing mental ailments. The coroner at Arkham ruled cause of death as affixation. Gotham PD called the circumstances of her sudden demise… suspicious." Sigmund slipped his glasses lower on his nose, "There appears to have been a murder most foul."

Selina laughed as she lifted off Sigmund's shoulder and used a finger to push his reading glasses back into place, "Alright Sherlock, keep investigating."

While the history of the Arkham family was fascinating, Selina's own research had revealed an equally intriguing story of the building itself. A story told by brick and mortar that collaborated to form a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. The massive structure built in 1898 was a collection of buildings connected by fireproof passages spanning three hundred and thirteen thousand square feet and reaching over a thousand feet in total length. Brick ventilation towers were erected over the sub terrain passages that crested above the imposing bulk of the hospital. These high peaks further added to the jagged outline of the roof top silhouette.

Selina grinned as she imagined the imposing structure back lit by an enormous moon with some of Bruce's flapping bats circling the main building's highest tower. _Arkham Asylum is positively terrifying._

Everything she pulled from the public sights was confirmed by information gathered through the Batcave's computer server as it sifted through the archives of Gotham City's records department. Selina's eyes lit up when the search program produced new results on the current security provider. She stared down at the familiar logo for Tyger Private Security Services.

Selina had benefited before from the company's lack luster performance in securing facilities against unlawful entries. Knowing all too well their many vulnerabilities, she immediately targeted their main computer server. Wayne's sophisticated decryption program took but seconds to circumvent Tyger's much-lauded 'hack proof' firewall. Her computer screen went black and a gray uppercase 'T' with three diagonal black stripes began its slow bounce across the monitor. She shook her head in disappointment as she watched the screen saver drop away to reveal the agency's home screen. Irritation gnawed at her at the realization that the bungling idiots at Tyger Security had been trusted with containing the most dangerous of Gotham's criminal class and most disturbingly of all, the Joker.

Selina and Sigmund called a break and went off in search of sustenance. The duo of Alfred and Blake became a trio when Blake intercepted Selina as she and Sigmund passed by them on the way to the kitchen. After a few quick words, Selina handed off her computer and sketchbook to the already loaded down and slightly bewildered young Englishman and fell into step behind Alfred as they briefed her on their concerns.

xxx  
Bruce, still dressed in a wind suit from his earlier gym session with Blake looked up from his computer taking in the sudden appearance of his family at the door of his study. Pepper, also dressed casually in a set of blackout Puma workout gear from Selina's collection, furrowed her brow as she anticipated that this was not likely to be a pleasant diversion from the grim faces on the threesome. She lifted her chin and nodded toward the door, "Shall I?"

Alfred gave a small bow, "If you would be so inclined Ms. Potts, you shall have my appreciation. We will be but a few moments. Mr. Geller has just arrived in the Rose room for a late tea. He would likely be appreciative of company, should you so desire."

Pepper nodded her consent as she gathered the Wayne tech tablet and phone before offering Bruce a consolatory smile. "See you in a few Bruce. I will try and get those names from Tony while I'm out." He started to speak and she held up the WE phone, "I've got it." Bruce relaxed back into the seat and turned his attention to the waiting entourage.

Without further invitation, Selina skirted the large desk and sat down beside him on the arm of his chair. The sturdy upholstered chair supported her slight frame easily. Instead of delivering a kiss as she leaned down, Selina instead turned her face. Accepting the brush of Bruce's lips on her cheek, Selina quickly scanned the open tabs on his computer and confirmed to herself that he was indeed conducting in-depth medical research. The main screen itself held a three-dimensional colored image of a human brain and the minimized tabs were titled head trauma, chronic migraine, nerve regeneration, and concussion protocol.

Bruce noted his wife's cool reception and her none too subtle observation of his computer monitor. He settled for amusement in response to Selina's actions. Navigating her mercurial moods was becoming less frustrating for Bruce and were rapidly evolving into a source of compelling diversion. He turned his attention to the two overly serious men with a bit more apprehension. He patted Selina's back settling his other hand to rest on her knee. Alfred and Bake both sat across from his desk also without invitation. Bruce felt Selina's hand card through his hair and he sighed deeply as he directed his steely glare at Blake. "So, there is to be a health intervention then?"

John Blake resettled uncomfortably in his chair before guiltily looking to Alfred for support. Alfred crossed his legs and folded his hands primly over his knee waiting in silent expectation. Bruce suppressed an eye roll before giving his undivided attention to his obviously concerned wife. "There is no mysterious concern with my health, Selina. You are all, more than aware of my headaches and the degree to which they can incapacitate me." He squeezed Selina's knee supportively. "You most intimately of all." Bruce stroked his thumb over the thin material of her yoga leggings, "This is nothing new. I just needed an excuse to contact Thomas. A medical consult seemed like the most plausible reason for me to seek him out today after years of avoidance."

"But you are worried about them?" Selina asked the question as her fingers gently roamed in his hair, "Your headaches?"

Wayne gave a small shrug, "Two birds one stone, Selina. I get my in-road to Arkham by allowing one of Gotham's most prominent neurologist to review my scans. It's a win-win."

Her head tilted as she studied his face. "And just how recent are those scans Bruce? How long have you been concerned about this?"

There was nothing for it but to be honest now. "I had full CET and PET scans performed when I was recovering from the procedure on my knees in Switzerland."

The displeasure at this deception was obvious on Selina's face. "The ice climbing excursion you arranged for me at the Brunnital? It got me out of the way while you had them do the tests?" Bruce nodded without offering any further excuse or explanation. "If it came back as nothing you would have just told me then. Dr. Enquist found something, didn't he?"

Bruce squeezed her knee again, "Nothing that I wasn't already anticipating. There is visible evidence of my history of concussive events. There appears to be indicators that suggest the presence of traumatic brain injury." Bruce felt her hand tighten in his hair but he continued on, knowing that she needed to hear it, that they all needed to hear the truth of things. "They expressed concerns that with the collective damage I might eventually suffer from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE. It's the same prognosis that faces many boxers after a lifetime of getting their skulls pounded."

Alfred finally spoke, "Has there been any deterioration of the brain tissue itself?"

Bruce continued to look at Selina when he answered. "Not at this time. They did find an abnormality, which they believe to be an accumulation of protein fluid. It may or may not be the source of the migraines and not necessarily symptomatic of CET, but it could be the beginning stages."

"Any early indicators of motor impairment?" Bruce shook his head silently that they had not. Selina felt her stomach fall at the idea that Alfred would be so well versed in this particular aspect of medicine. It was obvious that he had already had concerns in this area for Bruce. Alfred continued with his questions and his next froze Selina, "Any loss of cognitive ability or early markers of dementia?"

Selina's breath stalled in her lungs at the word dementia. Bruce tightened his arm at her waist and raised his hand to cup her chin as he locked his eyes with hers. "There were no signs of dementia, no memory loss, no behavioral disturbances. No symptoms of CET revealed other than the chronic migraines."

Alfred relaxed marginally into the chair at Wayne's reassurance. "What was their recommendation then, Master Wayne?"

Bruce smiled ruefully, "They recommended I retire from fight club or rugby or whatever disastrous hobby I had been subjecting myself to through the years and have a neurologist look in to the results further." His attempt at infusing humor was lost on the room as Selina blinked impassively down at him. Bruce continued to try and sooth his new wife, "That's why I wanted Thomas's opinion on Selina. I was already planning to see a specialist…this opportunity with Arkham just expedited the process a bit."

"I think I need a moment alone with my husband."

x  
Alfred pulled the large double doors together and with a firm click Selina and Bruce were alone.

Selina forced air into her stagnant lungs, "All the shit you give me about my wrist," She gestured with the newly replaced cortex cast covering her arm, "and you hide something like this from me?"

Bruce measured his response, "I'm not hiding Selina. I wanted to get a firm diagnosis before needlessly worrying you or for that matter, Alfred. The last thing I need is for everyone to be walking on eggshells around me. I refused to waste my time wondering if Blake was intentionally pulling his punches in training because he was afraid of hurting me." Bruce scoffed the last out as if that particular scenario had caused him physical pain to articulate.

Selina took in his words as she tried to digest everything that had transpired, her eyes flamed when the realization finally hit her, "That's why you were pushing to get married so quickly." Bruce shook his head, but Selina knew better than to fully believe him. "You wanted to get married sure, but you needed it to be sooner than later. You wanted to be married before you went in to the doctor, didn't you?" Selina moved to stand but Bruce tugged her fully onto his lap. "What? Did you think I'd cut and run the minute I found out?"

She looked near tears, Bruce measured his words carefully before he spoke. "I wanted you to be my wife, but I needed you to be my wife before a formal diagnosis was made. By entering into our marriage with no preexisting medical information to the contrary, my competency could not be brought into question. This will ensure there will be no challenges to the directions I have set forth in my will." Bruce's voice was chillingly serious, "I will leave no legal grounds for a contest to my estate. I will not allow legal maneuvering to keep you from executing your position as the heiress to the Wayne estate. I wanted nothing in my official medical records that would allow legal footing for the board of directors to challenge my wishes."

"You put off seeing a doctor so there wouldn't be a squabble over your money?" Selina stiffened under his hands.

Bruce caressed her cheek, "I saw a doctor, Selina. I put off seeing a specialist because my pain is managed effectively enough to allow me the time to ensure the woman I love is protected in the event I am incapacitated and unable to care for her myself. I put it off to protect Alfred and Blake." He looked around him. "This house, Wayne Enterprise, is my parent's legacy I want it preserved. Everything else…everything below the Manor is _my_ legacy. I put off a formal diagnosis to ensure that funds would remain available to provide for the security of Gotham. To do what the Batman does takes money. Lots of it in fact." Bruce looked up at Selina while tracking the sharp outline her jaw with the pad of his thumb. "I waited, until I could be certain that everything essential to preserving what I've dedicated my life to, would be delivered, without obstruction, into your most capable hands."

Selina shook her head, "Alfred could…"

Bruce shook his head, "There are none of us that are timeless, Selina. CET can progress slowly; it might be years before my cognitive capacity shows impairment. Alfred might be needing care himself by then. If I lose function, I might not even be capable of ensuring Alfred has the proper care prov—"

Selina's fingers pressed over his lips. "Stop talking Bruce."

Bruce swallowed hard before kissing her fingertips, "I know this is a lot to ask, Selina."

She shook her head and forced her voice not to waver. "You don't have to ask, Bruce. Not for any of it." She caressed his lower lip gently with her thumb as she struggled to voice her feelings, "I don't want to think about this Bruce. I don't want to think of you not being here with me...or of you not being…you anymore."

"I am going to do everything in my power to prevent that, Selina. I am meeting Thomas tonight to discuss these results. I want to know all of my options." Selina nodded, but her bravery broke as she stroked Bruce's face and her hand moved into his hair finding the familiar location of his pain. Bruce listened to her hitching breath and his arms anchored her more securely against him "Talk to me, Selina."

She shook her head and he watched as her throat constricted and she tried to speak, "Bane. When I left you down there…"

Bruce's brows furrowed, "No, kitten…"

Selina swallowed hard, "I saw the mask, your cowl. It was shattered on the floor. I thought then that he killed you." Selina's lip trembled as she fought through the pain and guilt, "He still may have. I may have."

"Stop." He held Selina firmly by the waist with a hand against her face as he pulled her forehead to his, "Bane kicked my ass down there and yes, he did me damage, but he alone did not cause this. More importantly, you did not cause this, Selina. So just stop." She let out a hurt whimper before curling against him and tucking her face under his chin.

"CET is caused by a lifetime of accumulated injuries. Injuries I incurred from the choices I made, Selina. I decided to be Batman. No one chose that path for me." He held her tightly allowing her to hide, as she was prone to do when her emotions threatened to become overwhelming. He soothed her with a hand that stroked gently down her back, "I need you to stop counting me out, kitten. There has not even been a firm diagnosis yet." He kissed the top of her head before speaking with grim conviction, "With all we have been through to be together Selina, why would you believe that I would let a thing like this separate us?"  
xx

Bruce sat for a moment in the silent confines of the ludicrously expensive Italian sports car. He looked over at the manila folder and considered again the tests he had commissioned while in Zurich. Dr. Enquist had not faltered in the slightest when Bruce requested complete privacy at his facility. Bruce had been issued a patient number and was assured that his stay would be held in the strictest confidence. He analyzed now why he had trusted Enquist to do the scans, but balked at allowing Elliot to view them. He had long ago accepted the necessity of listening to his own internal voices and intuition and when it told him to play this closer to the chest he was obliged to heed the warning.

He sighed deeply, tasting again the alcohol on the back of his tongue and put away any thoughts of salvaging the remainders of the night by joining Blake on patrol. The stale reminder of whiskey tainting his breath and the after effects of alcohol actively polluting his body made him completely unfit. If Blake had followed direction, he would be in the Bowery right now picking around Penguin's local haunts for problems. He considered for a moment going to the cave and monitoring Blake's transmissions, but knew that he could not allow minor issues to draw him out and any major ones would trigger safeguards that would alert him to Blake's status.

Bruce walked silently through the still house verifying with a nonintrusive security scan that all of his guests were tucked away in their rooms. Data displays showed Sigmund was talking on a secured line to his pediatrician boyfriend and Bruce made a mental note for Blake to vet the young doctor further. Pepper was on her computer working over data from the San Bernardino site and texting with Fox. He pocketed the phone and slipped into the master bedroom with all of the stealth afforded him by years as the Bat. He was completely unsurprised that his skills were not enough to avoid detection by his new wife. Her brown eyes lifted immediately from the computer on her lap and pinning him intently.

Selina sat covered by bed sheets and a white-laced camisole working on her laptop. She was propped up against a collection of pillows Alfred seemed intent on populating his bed with, despite his own failure to find a purpose in them. He found himself oddly amused that they had, finally, been put to use. He brought himself to the present quickly as he realized Selina was expecting answers for the investment of his evening with Thomas. His brief hesitation was evidently longer than she was prepared to wait for her head tilted as if readying to extract the information bodily if required. He nearly laughed at the thought of being menaced into speech by his own wife before he reconsidered the ramifications of such an ill-timed expression of mirth. "Before you even ask, I don't have any answers for you, Selina. I did not show him the scans from the clinic. It just didn't feel right." He spoke as he unbuttoned his shirt and he became more acutely aware of the offensive stench from Tommy's cigars as the fabric billowed away from his torso. His lip turned up in a muse of disgust at his current physical state. He halted Selina with a raise of his hand as she lifted to her knees on the bed. "I have to get a shower before you'll want to be anywhere near me."

Selina raised a challenging brow, "You telling me what I want, Wayne?"

"I'm telling you what I want kitten." Bruce responded without heat as he trekked toward the bathroom. He could feel Selina's eyes on him as he wadded the offending garment as well as his undershirt into a tight ball. He paused for a moment contemplated igniting the fireplace and incinerating the entire ensemble before realizing Selina was standing beside him. She poked him none too kindly in the side and he growled out a surprised protest.

"It's not you that gets to be testy, Wayne. One night married and you are already dragging in late from a night partying with your hoodlum friends. Typical man. "

Bruce attempted his own menace as he side-eyed her before continuing on to the bathroom. He paused long enough to shed the rest of his clothing before he scooped everything, including his shoes, and dropped the bundle down the laundry chute.

Selina huffed a laugh at her temperamental husband. Twitching her nose, she inhaled his scent, "Cheap cigars and whiskey sours?"

"You don't have a right to look disgusted. I told you I reek," Bruce growled as he walked into the stone shower. The overhead lights and water switched on automatically. The side spray began a moment later with its perfectly heated blast targeted against his shoulders and he exhaled in relief. "And it was whiskey rocks, smart ass."

Selina huffed out a laugh, "You trying to rinse off the stripper glitter before I get a good look?" Bruce glared again at her before pushing a button transforming the overhead spray from a moderate shower to a drowning deluge. Selina's eyes roamed over him taking in the tightness of his shoulders and the dark set of his eyes, "I suppose your stellar mood isn't helped by the ripping headache you have?"

"No it isn't." Bruce sighed as he poured a liberal dollop of shampoo into his palm. "The headache did help sell my reason for being there though."

Her eyes continued their assessing scan of him before she finally relented with a dissatisfied hum, "What a useless excuse for a doctor. If he wasn't going to give you relief with bootleg pain meds he could have at least got you all the way hammered." Selina ended her denouncement of Dr. Elliot by adjusting the overhead light settings to a cool blue. "When you manage to get that repellant odor off your body come to bed and fill me in on the details."

Bruce glowered at Selina's retreating form from under his dangling locks vowing to take the clippers to them himself in the morning if Alfred remained in opposition to providing his services as a coiffeur.

Twenty minutes later after swishing through half a bottle of Listerine Gold and two rounds of shampooing Bruce finally felt clean enough to share space with his new wife. Selina was piled back onto the bed scrolling through photos on the laptop stopping a moment to jot a note before moving to the next. She glanced up at her damp husband as he carelessly dropped his towel onto the rug beside the bed. She huffed a laugh, even in Bruce's depleted state he knew better than to let water leach onto Alfred's newly refinished floors. He flipped back the covers and flopped, nude, down onto the mattress. "I still feel disgusting. Don't touch me."

Setting the laptop to the side with a smirk, Selina turned her attention to him fully, "You are disgusting, and I have no intention of touching you."

Bruce made a sound of displeasure as he turned toward her and snagged her hand, placing it on the back of his head. "You weren't supposed to agree so easily, kitten."

She grinned as she rolled over to straddle him, her hands immediately went to work on the pain center in his neck and base of his skull. Selina could nearly see the decompression in his shoulders as they dropped further away from his ears. Shaking her head fondly, she rolled him all the way onto his stomach and took up a familiar position sitting on his muscular bottom. Working the knots in his neck as her other hand rubbed soothing patterns against his skull. "Need me to get your pills?"

Bruce sighed, "Better not. I'm not supposed to take them with alcohol. I took a few aspirin. Hopefully they will take the edge off."

"Was it worth all of this?"

"Yes and no." His voice was muffled from the pillow his face was buried into but Selina heard him clear enough. "I have an appointment for a follow up with him at Arkham tomorrow afternoon." Selina waited silently for him to flesh out the root of his concern. "I just couldn't shake the feeling it might be better he not know of those results from Zurich or when I came by them."

Selina felt his muscles jumping with tension under her fingers and decided to let the subject drop, "Sig and I took a little trip over to Arkham Island."

Bruce looked up at her from the corner of his eye, "I hope you kept a close watch on him. I would hate for him to have gotten lost in the Narrows."

Selina smiled down at him, "He stuck close. We took my bike so I would have noticed if he tried to jump off." Bruce grunted. Selina smiled down at him enjoying for some reason his unusual fussiness. "Got a look at the facility." Bruce grunted again. Selina continued, as obviously that had been a sound of curious interest. "Did you know they have two entire buildings set aside strictly for tuberculosis patients?"

Bruce cracked an eye to observe her before he spoke. "I hope that isn't where you are choosing to make entry."

Selina sighed as she scooted up his spine to better advantage her weight down on his shoulders. "Of course not, grumpy. It wouldn't do me any good to break in there. They are the only buildings not connected by the below ground passages."

Bruce acknowledged her finding, "Makes sense. Back when Arkham was originally built TB was a huge concern. They would not have wanted infected patients housed with the general population and no more air sharing than strictly necessary between the infected patients and the other residents. Probably has its own air filtration there as well."

She confirmed his theory, "I read about it. They have furnace stacks that the air gets forced through to kill the germs."

"As long as there are no active quarantine patients housed there it should be relatively safe to enter. The bacterium that comprise the human strains of TB can only live external to the body for approximately eight hours." He paused, considering his assessment, " Some forms of bovine TB can live in wood surfaces for three weeks or more."

He supplied the information so matter-of-factly that Selina was forced to consider how long that particular nugget of wisdom had itself, remained dormant in Bruce Wayne's brain. Selina paused in her ministrations as she looked down at the man beneath her, "How are you so smart?"

"I'm not. I just surround myself with the most brilliant people I can find and then I try to learn as much as I can from them." Bruce shivered as her hand worked a particularly hard knot in his neck. "I seek out experts in fields that interest me and I try to absorb what they know. It's a method of information transfer that I adopted early growing up with my parents and Alfred."

Her own curiosity to hear more about Mr. and Mrs. Wayne and a young Bruce was too much to resist. "Tell me."

Bruce closed his eyes enjoying the feel of her hands on his skin, "About me or about them?"

"Both, either." Selina encouraged softly as she continued to knead at his neck.

He inhaled an intentional breath, lifting his face from the deep pillow before balling it under his chest. He considered what it was that Selina was asking him for. "My mother and I would go to the museum every month. Sometimes it was the modern art or natural history, the big ones that Gotham is known for. Other times it might be little cultural museums. If there were any special events in town, like the touring Egyptian exhibits, we would be the first in line." "Well, I say line., Bruce looked sheepishly up at her, "many times, my family would be invited to private showings. We would go behind the scenes with the museum curators and event workers. I used to love listening to them talk about the artifacts and how they came into the museum's possession. It was there, behind the curtains of the exhibits that I discovered grave robbers, pirates, art thieves and forgers truly existed outside the pages of books."

Selina threaded her fingers through the dark wave of him as she imagined a youthful, Bruce Wayne hanging off the words of the museum curators as his intelligent young eyes took in the treasures of the world. "You kept going after knowledge after you grew up. I know you went to college. I saw your jersey."

"Wore my jersey, you mean," Bruce smirked into the pillow as he corrected her. "I attended Princeton. I didn't graduate." Surprised Selina paused again. Bruce blinked open his eyes to appraise her reaction, "Didn't realize you were bedding a college drop out? Good thing I got that ring on your finger before the truth came out."

Her only question was a soft, "Why?"

"I was in my third year when I left. My grades were adequate, but I was a poor student. I was double majoring in biochemistry and mechanical engineering." His eye squinted as Selina resumed worrying a persistent knot in his shoulder. "I had just changed my minor from molecular biology to criminal psychology. The professors in the psychology department hated me. I questioned everything they presented, especially when their tenured opinions on the subject matter varied so far from real world truths." He thought for a moment. "I was learning, but I suppose at that point in my life, I was too angry to actually be _taught_ anything." He blinked his eye shut and mumbled into his pillow, "If it means anything to you, I did finish the curriculum requirements for both my majors."

"What about your minor?" Selina's smile flashed at his growling objection to her challenge. He squirmed under her as she smirked down at him.

"I preferred a more hands on approach to understanding the criminal element. Besides, I got sidetracked by a pressing need to understand corporate law." He went pliant beneath his wife's hand as she stroked the muscles in his neck. "I had my father's business to consider. I needed to fully understand my obligations to Wayne Enterprises."

She pressed down over him snuggling against his back as she rested her head on his, "You are so perfect it hurts, Bruce."

His body flexed involuntarily at the familiar weight of her body. "The irony of my laying here in pain precisely _because_ of my many physical imperfections is not lost on me."

Selina shook her head. "You know it's the truth Bruce." He felt her lips moving against his ear and his heart rate began to increase. "You know how smart you are, how capable you are. You have all of that hiding," She squeezed his broad shoulders, "right under the surface of this gorgeous human disguise you wear."

Her fingers slid down his shoulders skimming along his sides and Bruce lost the will to control his biological response. "I am just a man, kitten."

She snuggled closer against him. "You want people to believe that, to think of you as just a man. That's why I love seeing you as the Bat. All that you really are can live in him without limitations. It can exist without any apology. All the extraordinary things about you find a purpose in him."

Bruce rolled under her careful not to unseat her as he moved. She lifted to allow his adjustment only to settle herself against his firming groin. Endorphins were already releasing in his brain as his pain faded and the night with Thomas began slipping further away from his conscious mind. His eyes focused on Selina's arms lifting above her head as she pulled off the lace camisole. Then there were perfect breasts bared for him and a sultry smile gifted him and he found himself infinitely grateful that Selina could love even the darkest parts of Bruce Wayne.

xxx

Thomas closed the door on Bruce's retreating form not wanting to see him enter the silver Aventador. A stab of want laced through Thomas at the sight of the car. Alcohol was eroding his defenses against the familiar creeping envy. He paused in front of his floor length mirror in the hall. He ran his fingers through his dark hair loosening the firm hold of the product tilting his head as he searched the reflection for the desired similarity. _Its not right. His is longer now.._. _wavier now than it used to be._

His hands moved quickly to the buttons of his shirt and within a few short moments he was examining his shoulders and arms with dissatisfaction, the beat of his heart evident in the pulsing of the artery in his throat. Leaving the shirt discarded in the hall, Elliot stalked to the kitchen and without hesitation bent over the sink with fingers jammed remorselessly down his throat. His gag reflexed was easily stimulated and accommodated him with the regurgitated remains of far too many libations and a good portion of his dinner.

He thought of Bruce as his eyes watered and he forced his vomit soaked fingers into the back of his throat again. A hard retch brought the remaining contents of his stomach splashing into the sink basin. _Alcohol, worthless empty calories that dull the mind and the senses, but I got Wayne to drink. Bruce, did what he always had, succumb to pressure. When pressed Bruce's inherent need to be accepted could always be brought to the surface. He had not enjoyed it, but he had drunk anyways._ Elliot snarled his lip, imagining how much harder Wayne would likely push himself to rid his body of the impurity he himself had influenced there. He found himself oddly comforted by the thought of Wayne's self-flagellation.

He wiped a hand over his lips leaving the sour contents of his bile dripping thickly in the sink before moving robotically to the sparsely stocked pantry. Pushing past the bags of rice and noodles, he secured instead a large canister of powder. Slamming the plastic jug down on the counter, Elliot fished out an unwashed cup from the rack of the dishwasher. He scooped two large mounds of the Mass-Gainer protein powder and dropped it into the hazy glass. Returning to the sink, he filled the glass, swirling the liquid as it filled. He gulped the murky contents not heeding the clumps of unmixed powder or sickly foam coating the walls of the cup. He slammed the glass onto the counter and stalked quickly to the weight room.

Xxx

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit credits go to Cheed.  
> All Mistakes go to me.....
> 
> Extra credit and inspirations go to:
> 
> “To paraphrase TS Elliot love, the world will not end with a bang but with a nephew.” Sheldon Cooper Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre Warner Bros /CBS 2007. I heard the quote once and it had stuck with me as I thought it hilarious especially in our world of nepotism, although I never could remember where I heard it. Imagine my surprise when I Googled for the source and found Shelly Cooper the Smelly Pooper as the source - good times!
> 
> Danvers State Hospital is believed to have been used as the original muse for Arkham… and it serves as mine now as well. Certain historical resemblances to the original Danvers facility is intentional in this fiction- but the physical resemblance only in the construct of the halls and walls … all of the diabolical doings and horrific history found inside Arkham belongs to me and DC comics. Much of the information on Danvers came to me from the Wikipedia page as well as from the Asylum Project. These sources had lots of historical info on the original structure of the facility and operations.
> 
> Tyger Security and related character development in now and in the future owe homage to Rocksteady Arkham City Batman Game Series- They created a fantastic video game Batman experience with solid story lines. I brought a bit of their narrative into this story and full credit for their characters goes to them with no intended copy write infringement.
> 
> A murder most foul- quote from Hamlet (I.v.27-28), where the Ghost comments about his own death, “Murder most foul as in the best it is/But this most foul, strange and unnatural.” by none other than Billy Shakespeare himself.
> 
> Basically, I am poor and am making no money from this story… please don’t sue me…


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